To The Ones Who Never Give Up On You
by Broppy's-Little-Girl
Summary: It's been Poppy's mission to make Branch happy since the day he turned grey, but everyone knows he is a tough shell to crack. So why keep trying? Well, she's Poppy, and everyone knows there's no way she's going to give up on him so easily, even when Branch is at his worst./ Takes place before the movie! Title may change!
1. Grey

**Hey everyone! This is my new and first story on this account, I have another account but I decided to take a break from it and try to do something a lil bit different.**

 **So I saw Trolls in the theater a could weeks back, and by the trailer (it had me cringing XD) I thought I was going to hate it, but I actually really like it.**

 **I really have became fond of the Poppy×Branch ship, I think it's really cute and sweet. I like how they went down the route of Branch loving her the whole time was extremely touching! I wanted to call this story True Colors because it's easily the best song in the movie.**

 **I fangirled.**

 **Over animated trolls.**

 **God help me! XD**

 **Anyway, here's the story, enjoy!**

* * *

Grey. It's used as many different definitions. It could be a feeling of loneliness and despair. Or just simply the absence of sunlight. No one likes it when the sun is blocked by the grey clouds nor does anyone like the feeling of loneliness and despair. It could also be a mixture of the two. When the sun is blocked and Mother Nature weeps and cries it's godly tears, it makes everyone feel lonely and hopeless.

Bent, but never broken because Mother Nature knows that tomorrow the sun'll come out. She knows that soon enough she would have to cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it. For the sake of others. She knows that there's going to be a day when there will be no sun left and even her will perish from the earth, only to realize that she had drowned in her own tears, and she took her people down with her.

So she dries her tears with the sun and lets it warm the earth again, restoring everyone's faith. She knows that she needs to let go and be happy, even if it's a lot easier said than done.

But we're getting off topic. Back to grey.

He felt his color fading as he started to cry tears of pain, his face in his hands. He was all alone in the patch of grass, not thinking of anything else but the last time he saw his grandmother- the look of true horror on her face. He couldn't get that image out of his mind no matter how hard he tried to shake it off, it was on replay.

He gasped when he saw he slightly looked up and saw the color of his hands: grey. His breathing quickened even more than it was and his heart beat increased, only making him cry heavier. He fell to his knees and budded them.

He lost his colors.

 _Once a trolls colors fade...can they ever come back?_ he thought to himself, still panicking. He felt as if the answer was so close, just out of reach, yet he couldn't wrap his fingers around it. It was something that happened often. There were a lot of things that felt just out of reach yet so far away. He wasn't sure why. Something was missing.

He rocked himself back and forth. "I'm sorry Grandma Rosiepuff…" he whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you…" He swallowed. "Please forgive me...I don't care about myself anymore," he wailed, sniffing. Sudden anger grew inside him. _I killed her_ , he thought darkly. _I KILLED her by singing. I'm never singing again._

Branch was still sitting there with his knees budded, with the only company of the sky. Just as he did, it was turning grey. He had sat there for hours, eyes closed deep in thought, his mind replaying the look of horror. He was still not going to sing. He used to think a simple song would fix everything, but he kept his promise about never singing again.

His eyes flew opened when he heard someone singing in the distance. His heart sank. At first he didn't recognize the voice, but as it got closer, he knew exactly who it was: Princess Poppy! He couldn't let her see him like this! She would tell everyone! He rarely saw the queen-to-be. Usually him and Grandma Rosie wouldn't talk to many people of the village. Every few weeks or so King Peppy would go check on them, just to see how they were doing. He would often invite them to parties such as Poppy's seventh birthday- which was most recent. Grandma refused even though Branch longed to leave their pod and adventure out on his own. Now he wasn't sure what to do. In all truthfulness he didn't want to do _anything_. He didn't want to do anything but cry.

He felt a raindrop call on his head as he heard Poppy get closer, on the final verse of her song.

" _...Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll love ya, tomorrow!_

 _You're always a day awayyyyyy!"_

She laughed a little but as she stomped in the mud puddles, Branch watching her every move, trying his hardest to stay still but failed when trying to get up because he stepped and tripped on a big rock. Poppy jumped at the noise and froze, standing completely up, ears strained to listen and her eyes ready for anything. Branch still didn't move.

"Hello?" she asked nervously, approaching the patch of grass where Branch was, frozen as a stature. He could now see her clearly. A raindrop fell on her nose and she sneezed. It almost was enough to make Branch smile, but he stood his ground.

She took at few steps closer, and she spotted him and gasped. "I've never seen a...grey troll before," she said softly. "Papa always says that turning grey is a trolls worst nightmare." She shuddered a little.

Branch wiped the tears from his eyes but said nothing. He wasn't sat up straight, his back was slightly arched and he was on his knees. He slowly backed up.

"Hey," her tone was soothing. "I won't hurt you." As she got closer Branch took a few steps back. Poppy narrowed her eyes. "Branch…?"

 _She...knows my name?_ he thought, shocked. He thought for a long time she didn't even know he existed. He envied her. She was always outside the village having a good time, singing and dancing with her friends.

"Poppy!" King Peppy called from afar.

This was when he made a run for it. He heard Poppy yelling his name, begging for him to come back, but he kept running. He kept running until he felt as if the grass had swallowed him up whole, and the ground was stripped from the earth and he was falling through the center. He screamed until he and the ground were reunited again. He had fell right on his belly. He held it in pain, moaning and groaning until everything stopped spinning.

Once he could manage the stand up, he wrapped his arms around himself. It was so chilly in there that he could see his own breath. He looked at his surroundings, and they were cold, dark, and gloomy. The best way of all to describe it was grey.

Unsure what to do and how to get out, Branch lay down and let his eyelids flutter shut. He knew the only thing he could do was wait for morning.

* * *

 **I know it's a bit short but I just kinda wanted to leave it here because it's suspenseful and it explains how Branch fpun the bunker that he lived in. It's also just the prologue I guess. I was originally going to make it into a huge one-shot but I would rather do it this way because I would love to take request!**

 **If you have a request the only thing would be to make sure it's before the movie because none of this story will take place afterwards so I'm not sure if this is going to be a happy ending or not (a little different for me).**

 **But please feel free to request! I will take pretty much anything and I do have ideas myself. Just make sure it takes place before the movie. I wouldn't say it's a series of one-shots because usually those aren't in any specific order but I would like mine to be in order.**

 **That makes sense, right? :)**

 **Please feel free to review whether I should continue or not! Criticism is totally allowed! :D**


	2. I Guess Your Stuck With Me

"I'm telling you guys, it was him!" Poppy told her friends as she scrapbooked the scene to help them get more of a visual. She had told all of her friends about what she had seen on her adventure just three days ago that was a little too far from the village. Poppy was always wanting to go on adventures and never wanted to stay in one place.

"I didn't recognize him at first," she continued, "but I saw it in his eyes." Suddenly her face dropped. "He looked so sad, and I didn't know what happened to him."

King Peppy had been watching from the kitchen. He frowned. His daughter didn't know what had really happened to Branch's grandmother, she and the other children didn't see the Bergan. It made him doubt they they weren't completely safe where they had rebuilt their civilization. But Rosiepuff and Branch's pod was so separate from everyone else, and the rest of them blended in. Branch wasn't at all responsible for what had happened, he was so wrapped up in singing that he didn't realize what was happening. Luckily the hungry Bergan didn't take anyone else, but being their king, he couldn't help but worry that they weren't safe.

"Done," said Poppy, who had finished her scrapbook. She lifted it up so they could all see.

"He looks so sad…" DJ Suki mumbled, frowning.

"It's so...dark, and colorless," Cooper said.

Everyone murmured in agreement.

"That's how he looks now," Poppy said sadly, slumping down in her seat, not sure what to do. "I can't figure it."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine Poppy," nine-year-old Creek assured her in his sweet voice that always got Poppy's hopes up. He booped her nose, making her giggle and have hope grow inside of her.

"I hope your right Creek," she sighed, looking at the scrapbook once more. _Everyone deserves to be happy_ , she thought. _What happened to him? He was happy, at least from what I've seen._

Peppy emerged from the kitchen. "Alright kids, I think you should be getting home to your pods," he said calmly.

"Aww man!" they groaned.

"We wanna stay with Princess Poppy!" Biggie said, crestfallen.

"You'll see her in the morning," the king said. "Get some sleep. You'll want to be bright-eyed and bushy-haired for the morning song, won't wanna miss it!"

That was enough to convince the children to get some rest. Saying their final goodbyes to Poppy, they made their way out as a group as well as hugging each other goodbye and disappearing into their own homes.

A sudden pang of loneliness struck Poppy. Not only was she sad that her friends had to leave, but she couldn't stop thinking about the look on Branch's face when she tried to talk to him. He was so sad.

"Bedtime, little one." Her father interrupted her thoughts as he scooped her up in his arms. She didn't speak, for even though her thoughts were interrupted when he had picked her up, her mind was still trying to piece everything together.

He set her down gently in bed, wrapping the covers around her. She turned to her side, confused and unhappy about what had happened to Branch. One troll alone being sad was enough for her to be sad, and it didn't help that she had no idea where he had disappeared to.

Peppy could tell she was in thought. She had that look her mother did when she was thinking about leaned against the doorframe, watching her with his head tilted. She looked at him slowly. "C'mon, where's my happy girl?"

Poppy shrugged. "I can't stop thinking about Branch. It's been three days! What happened to him? Where is he?"

"Oh, I'm sure he just wants to be alone right now," he said, approaching her and sitting on the foot of her bed. "He'll be alright."

"I've never seen a troll go grey before, it...it freaked me out! I wonder what made him that way?"

Peppy took a breath. He knew his daughter was too innocent for the truth. He knew that Rosiepuff, his grandmother, was gone. She was the only family the young troll had left, and now she was gone. He knew that was the reason he turned grey. Branch was born into a father that never acknowledged him and a mother that was unable to take care of him. So she gave him up to her mother Rosiepuff when he was very young. It was the only person who looked after him. His mother knew her time was coming when she had gotten almost too sick that she could barely stand. Branch was too young to understand what was happening when he was that young. As for his father, he left the troll tree soon after Branch was born. No one knew why and no one ever heard from him since.

He finally found what to say. "Hey, do you remember what your mom would always say?"

"Don't eat the yellow snow?" Poppy asked, knowing that wasn't right because her giggling gave it away.

"She did say that," Peppy chuckled. "But remember what she said? About when a troll turns grey, I mean."

Poppy nodded. "Tell me the story Papa! Tell me the story!" she said excitedly, sitting up slightly in her bed and hugging her stuffed animal.

"What do we say?"

She did the puppy-dog-eyes. "Pwease?" she asked innocently.

Peppy smiled. "Yes your majesty," he chortled. "There was once a strong, noble king called Pippy."

"Grandpa!"

"Mhm," he nodded. "It was way before the evil Bergan's invaded our village. Pippy and his wife Piper had just had a son."

"You!"

"That's right. When his son was six, he saw a troll about his age. She appeared to be very sad. Her colors had faded. Her name was Sky. As each day passed Peppy was determined to help Sky get her colors back, but she was the most stubborn girl Peppy met. He didn't give up though. He began to break down her rough shell and took her hand in friendship. As the years went by Peppy and Sky's friendship became something more."

"And then what happened?" asked Poppy even though she had heard this story many times. She was on the edge of her seat, as always.

"One day, Peppy sang a special song to her, and guess what happened?"

"What?" she asked excitedly, as she did every time he told this story.

"Her true colors came back!"

"Wow…" her eyes widnened in astonishment as she cupped her hand in her chin.

"She was a beautiful yellow troll with pink hair and glitter freckles! Peppy had never seen a more beautiful troll in his life. He never wanted to let Sky out of his arms. They had a beautiful daughter and lived happily ever after."

Poppy smiled, but then frowned, getting a scrapbook that was full of all of the adventures her and Peppy had. "Not entirely Papa." A tear steamed down her face.

Peppy wanted to cry himself, but he knew he had to hold it together, not wanting to cry in front of his daughter. "Dry those tears dear child." He wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her forehead. "As long as we remember the ones we love in our hearts, they're never truly gone."

"I know Papa." She weakly smiled.

"As your mother once said, true love will always get a trolls colors back."

Poppy thought about that for a moment. "Then...what about Branch?"

"Same thing with him. Once he find his true love, then and only then will he get his colors back. But whomever it is, they must love him in return with all their hearts."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Chin up Pop's," Peppy smiled. "He'll find his true love when the time is right. Meanwhile you should get some rest."

"But I'm not tired!" she protested. "I wanna stay up and-" her voice was cut off by yawning.

"Goodnight love." He kissed her forehead and exited the room, turning off the light.

Once her father left, Poppy's eyes fluttered opened. It almost seemed impossible to sleep. Branch was still on her mind. She wanted him to be happy. She _needed_ him to be happy. Ever since she met him he was happy. She remembered when they were really young they would play hide and seek in the bushes.

She looked at the glowing star stickers on her ceiling and began to sing quietly in the darkness.

" _Look at the stars  
Look how they shine for you  
And everything you do  
Yeah they were all yellow  
I came along  
I wrote a song for you  
And all the things you do  
And it was called yellow  
So then I took my turn  
Oh what a thing to have done  
And it was all yellow…"_

Poppy left the song off there. She had to find Branch. It wouldn't feel right. He could be anywhere. _When everyone is asleep_ , she decided. _That's when I'll leave_.

* * *

Branch had just woken up from a nightmare. He took a few deep breaths. For a moment he thought everything that had happened was just a dream. It was pitch black, and it was freezing. The ran had stopped, finally. But it was still freezing down there, wherever he was.

It had been three days and he hadn't moved from the spot where he fell, nor tried to find a way out. He pushed his hunger aside and hadn't thought of anything else but Grandma Rosiepuff. Over the last few days he grew very angry. The world had token everything from him.

He curled himself in a ball with his hair, letting himself shed a few tears.

He dozed off for another hour or so until he felt dirt fall onto him. "Hello?" a voice called. "Branch?" Poppy!

Branch sat up, but didn't say anything. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head. More dirt gave away from the top of the hole where he fell. After a grunt of surprise and a scream of shock before he knew it Poppy was right on top of him, eyes closed as if she thought she had died, but she slowly opened them and they got wider when she saw him.

"Branch!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "Oh, Branch, I never thought I'd see you again!" She nuzzled herself in his chest. Trying to keep blush from forming on his face, he awkwardly pulled her away.

"Yeah yeah, it's not hug time," he said.

"I think that every time should be hug time, don't you think?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Sure. I wish it was every minute."

"Really? That'd be amazing!" she said excitedly. "Hugs all around, every minute! Great idea Branch!"

"I was being sarcastic Poppy," he murmured.

"Sarcastic?" she asked more to herself than him. She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. Shaking it off, she took her backpack off her shoulders. "Hey, I brought some fruit, want some?" she offered, taking out the raspberries she brought.

"No."

She frowned. Branch had always been this way. He let his pride get in the way of everything. "Have you even eaten for these three days?"

"Nope."

"Well, you should really-"

"Sh." He covered her mouth and listened.

"What is it?" she whispered. "Is it...is it a Bergan?"

He couldn't help but feel a pinch in his heart when she said Bergan, but he didn't let the pain show. Not in front of her. "Maybe."

After a few moments of silence Poppy knew what he was doing. "Are you just doing it to make me stop talking?"

"Maybe," he whispered with a smug grin.

"Branch, please eat something," she begged. "If you don't want food I brought sandwiches."

He turned his head but said nothing.

She grabbed the sandwich she cut in half. "C'mon, at least have half." She held it up, and he took it. He thanked her, but didn't smile.

"So what's the plan? How are we getting out of here?" Poppy asked, taking a bite of her sandwich while Branch had already devoured his and was moving on to the next one along with eating some raspberries.

"I dunno, I don't have a plan, really," he said.

"We have to get out of here," she said. "You cant just sit here doing nothing! You almost starved yourself to death!" When Branch didn't say anything, she continued. "How are you not restless in...whatever this is?! What made you turn grey? What made you run away?"

"Hey! You don't have any idea what's going on so shut your nosy mouth!" he snapped.

Poppy froze. "You're...not the troll I used to know...you've changed…"

"I'm still the same me. We were never close so why do you care so much? Just because my colors are gone it doesn't make me any different!" he said.

"You're unhappy," she whispered.

"Of course I am, I've always been this way."

"That's a lie!"

"Well some people change! And there's nothing _you_ can do about it because-"

She interrupted him by hugging him. "You grouch," she whispered effectionately. "You think this is over. I'm not giving up on you. Until we get out of here, and many days after that, I'll still be here."

Needless to say, he didn't hug her back. But he did agree to find a way out of this place.

* * *

 **I like this and hate it at the same time ahaha. Tell me what you think :)**


	3. Down In The Bunker

Whenever Poppy went on a new adventure, she always came prepared. She had brought all of her essentials such as food, water, a lantern, her guitar, a comb for her hair, and even extra clothes. There was much more in her bag as well, but we'll get to that later. She wasn't sure how long they were going to be down here. It was dark, cold, and mysterious. Even it being morning. They had set off to find a way out just moments ago. She felt a shiver down her spine as they walked through the darkness.

"Branch…?" Sudden panic washed over her when she couldn't find him. "Where...Where are you?" She shined the lantern everywhere in multiple directions until she saw an angry, grey face.

"Roar!"

"Ah!" Poppy screamed, dropping the lantern as well as falling her on top of her leg and hitting her head.

Branch laughed maliciously, picking up the lantern. "Classic."

"Oww…" she rubbed her head and furrowed her eyebrows at him. "That wasn't funny!"

"Yes it was."

"Then you have a sick sense of humor." Pain pulsed through her ankle. It throbbed and she held it in pain as she struggled to get up.

Branch kept walking, unaware that she was seriously hurt. "C'mon scaredy cat let's get moving." After a moment of her not replying, he rolled his eyes impatiently. "Poppy!" His annoyance fell flat when he realized what had happened. He felt himself softening as he got closer and shone the lantern on her. "Poppy?" he asked softly, tilting his head.

She looked at him and sniffed, looking down at her leg where blood was oozing out.

Branch frowned. He couldn't help but feel sorry for really was his fault that the princess was hurt. Taking a breath, he ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't going to show his guilt. "Come on now, get up!"

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"It'll be okay," he assured, not entirely sure what to do know. There was nothing he really could do to help her brutal injury.

"Can you give me a piggyback ride?"

"What?! No!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with sprinkles and cupcakes and rainbows on top?"

"First of all, life isn't all cupcakes end rainbows. Second of all, no."

Branch was sure she was going to beg him even more, but what she did next surprised him.

"I've got it!" said Poppy, suddenly, grabbing her bag that was just in her reach. She dug through it until she finally found what she was looking for. "Papa always says cobwebs helps with bleeding." She wrapped it around her ankle. "And some beetlejuice as well. That helps numb the pain. It works with lots of injuries. See, whenever I get a boo boo Papa always give me cobwebs and ice, along with some mushrooms. They have a yucky taste, but they help with the pain."

Branch watched her get all of the necessary things that'd help her injury, wondering what else she packed in that bag. As she did so, she had a smile on her face the whole time. How can someone go from crying to humming a happy song in less than a minute? Happiness was really starting to get on his nerves. He no longer felt the need to be happy. When Poppy talked of her father, it pained him. He never knew his father, let alone his mother. But it hurt less because he knew his mother couldn't take care of him. His father had no excuse to leave him.

"And of course- after I eat my mushrooms- he wraps his arms around me and gives me a big hug. That's the best medicine of all." Just as she said that, the lily flower pod on her wrist lit up, making a "ding" noise and shining bright pink. Poppy's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Branch's lily pod went off, too, shining bright blue. He covered it up with his other hand. He didn't move. He watched it go off every hour when he was in the cave alone for the last three days. He had no one to hug then when he needed it the most, and now there was someone right there. In all truthfulness he was in need of a hug; he was in need of a thousand hugs!

Poppy held out her arms, opening her mouth wide and wiggling her eyebrows. Despite all of the pain she was in she was still smiling. Her colors glowed as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He wanted to cry. He was sick of crying but he couldn't help the tear escape from his eye. Followed by another tear. And sniffing.

"Branch, you're crying," she said softly, gently pulling away.

He didn't meet her gaze. "I'm not," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"What is it?"

"I'm just…" he took a breath. "Poppy…" he trailed off. He knew what he had to say, he just couldn't gather the words.

She tilted her head.

He took another breath. "I'm sorry." He paused. "For hurting your ankle, I mean."

Poppy felt hope grown inside of her. He apologized! This was progress! She knew Branch would get his color back for sure if he kept this up! He still had a lot of work to do. "That's alright Branch, maybe I was a bit of a scaredy cat. For the rest of the time we're down here, I'll be the bravest troll ever! You'll see!"

Branch half smiled at her courage. His smile alone was enough to satisfy Poppy. He then turned around, his back facing her. At first she was confused, and then he said the three words that always made her day: "Alright, hop on."

"Yay!" she sprang up on her good leg and hopped on his back. He tumbled slightly until she got a good grip, instead of grabbing his shoulders, she pulled on his ears.

"Ow! Ow! Ears!"

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly.

"You're heavier than I expected," he panted, picking the lantern back up from where Poppy dropped it. She responded by telling him that he was basically like a pack animal, so he didn't even FEEL it. She also explained that she had brought so many things in her bags that it weighed her down.

"Mhm," he mumbled.

They went on walking with a few moments of silence until, of course, Poppy broke the ice. "Can I touch your hair?" she asked randomly.

He snorted. "What kind of question is that?" he rolled his eyes.

"I want to touch your hair," she repeated. "It's so shiny! It looks fuzzy, too. Papa said he was there when you were born. He says you were small for a newborn troll- a tiny little fuzzball!" she laughed.

"I was not small. I'm not small now and I wasn't small then!"

"Yes you are, for an eight-year-old troll. When my friend Creek was your age- he just turned nine- he was way taller than you, and had more luscious hair!"

Branch rolled his eyes and sighed. "You mean that self-obsessed troll that always uses a bug instead of his own feet for transportation?!" he asked angrily. When Branch was born, the first thing Creek did was shame him for his size. In Branch's opinion Creek was a greedy troll who only cared about himself and himself only. The purple troll was always looking in the mirror, and got a little too close to Poppy for his liking. He didn't know why- out of all the other things he hated about Creek- that what bothered him the most about him that he was always fawning around Poppy.

"He's not self-obsessed!" argued Poppy, feeling defensive. "He'd do anything for others!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Poppy rolled her eyes at his negativity. She was silent for a few moments until she spoke up again, being careful with her words. She didn't want to start an argument. "Hey, remember when we'd play hide and seek when we were five?"

"Correction: I was five, you were four."

Poppy hated how he always had to hang that he was a year older over her head all the time. "We used to be so close…" she continued.

Branch didn't say anything else. He did remember when they were young they were best friends. His side of the story was that Poppy stopped being his friend since she met Creek. He remembered whenever it was Poppy's time to seek and it was his to hide, she'd always close her eyes tightly, smile, scrunch up her nose, and she'd count to twenty. He couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah…"

* * *

"Branchhh. I'm tired. My leg hurts, and my hair is everywhere," she whined.

"Yes," he blew off some of her pink hair that had been in his eyes and was now getting in his mouth. It tasted of cotton candy. "I can see that."

She ignored his comment and complained more. "Can we stop? I don't want to keep walking. It's like we've walked a thousand miles." She may have overreacted, but they had been walking all day.

Anger boiled in his blood. "What? There's no we in this! You're not even the one that's doing all the walking here!"

She moaned. "But I don't like staying in this position," she argued. "And I need to go to the bathroom."

"I asked you that twenty minutes ago!"

"I didn't have to go then!" she groaned.

Then Branch groaned. "Okay, fine. Fine. We'll-" before he could finish, they came across a problem. One tunnel lead to the left, which looked pitch black, and one lead to the right, where a baby blue light had glowed, as if was calling them. They stared in shock for a few minutes, both frozen.

"I say we take the right side," Poppy said.

Branch thought for a moment, but something about the blue glow on the right side of the tunnels made him shiver. It suddenly felt even colder than it was before. "No," he said. "We go to the one on the left."

"But it's pitch black!" he felt her shudder. "Just like the rest of this terrible place!"

"It looks suspicious," he pointed out.

"It's light! What if it's a way out?"

Every instinct he had told him the left side was the safest route, even though it was darker than any part of the cave they had discovered. If it even was a cave, that was. He felt like it could be something else because it didn't look quite like a cave. It didn't have bats or salagtics and stalagmites.

"We can't take the chance." He was about to move, but Poppy slid off his back, knowing what she was going to do next. "Have fun limping all the way there!" he yelled.

"I will if I have to. I'm not going way! This place gives me the creeps! I may not be right that it's a way out, but I have hope, unlike you!" she slipped her backpack on so firmly that it nearly hit Branch in the face. Once she got onto her feet, she was limping as fast as she could to get away from him.

"Well good riddance!" Branch called. "Who needs you anyway?" he angrily picked up the lantern and was swallowed into a swarm of darkness. He found many interesting things: old hieroglyphics of the ancient trolls. Grandma talked about them. She said they had lived underground in bunkers so no Bergens would ever find them…

The cave had lead him right here! This whole time they had been in a bunker of the ancients!

He wanted to run and tell Poppy the news, but he decided against it. After all, she was going her own way. Whatever way that was, it couldn't beat what he found on the other side.

"Wow…" He ran a hand through the walls of the hieroglyphics in astonishment. Their culture of singing and dancing had lived on through all of these years.

As he went on he found scrapbooks all in a pile. They left their past behind, in this bunker! This was so exciting. He was actually seeing this, and it wasn't a dream! He looked around and saw their homes. There was a kitchen table that had more scrapbooks on it. There was plenty of food as well. It was rotten of course, but it was still cool! He wondered how it must feel to live among the ancients.

He opened up one of the scrapbooks, and with each page he turned he became more anxious. Suddenly his excitement made him terrified when he saw that the scrapbook had shown the dark side and the light blue side, just like what he and Poppy had encountered. At first it amazed him, but then he turned the page, and he saw what was truly on the right side. The scrapbook had had no words, but one could easily tell what was going on. It showed a troll wonder into that place. It showed a young troll get on top of ice, and in the next page the ice gave away, and the young troll drowned and froze.

"Oh no," he whispered. Poppy. Just then he heard a shriek. "POPPY!" he screamed, rushing out, lantern in his hand. The glowing blue light was ice, under freezing cold water.

Once he got there, there was no sight of Poppy. Without thinking, he dove into the freezing water head first. If she wasn't under water he didn't know where else she would be. He kept his eyes wide open, thinking he would freeze any time. But he couldn't give up.

Finally he spotted Poppy, motionless and her eyes were shut tight. She was drowning! He went up for air, and he swam to her. It seemed like forever. Down, down, down. He felt his ears plugging, but he kept diving until he got a good grip on her hand hand and began to make his way back up, not letting go of her hand for any reason. He held her in his arms tightly when they made it up safely. He coughed and fell onto the ground.

For a moment he thought his troubles were over, but he remembered Poppy. "Poppy!" he exclaimed, putting his ear to her chest, and he heard her heartbeat. She was alive! She was breathing! He knew if she didn't wake up soon, he'd have to do mouth to mouth, which is something he had absolutely no idea how to do that. He began to pump her belly, knowing that this was the only thing he could do right now.

A few moments later, Poppy began to cough up water, eyes still closed and heavily breathing. She still didn't open her eyes but she murmured one simple word: "Branch." She finally opened her exhausted eyes and smiled weakly at him, and he giggled nervously.

"That's right. How many trolls do you see?"

"You have a...twin brother?" she asked, still hallucinating. She had swallowed more water than he thought.

"Ah, well, close enough." He snickered.

* * *

Branch set down the lantern in the the middle of them, paying close attention to Poppy, who looked close to falling asleep onto her sandwich. She was wrapped up in a blanket she brought. He looked at her, and for a moment, just a moment, he felt the need to protect her at all costs. There was a moment where she realized that he was looking at her, and he quickly looked away. She sneezed and sniffled, making him look up again.

Once he was settled, Poppy gave him his half of the sandwich she packed. He nodded in thanks and wrapped himself in the second blanket she brought.

Poppy forced herself to finish her sandwich even though she wasn't hungry. "Branch."

He looked up at her contentedly.

"Thank you…for saving my life."

Blush formed on his face. "Oh, it was nothing I…"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Yes it was. Thank you." She gave him a quick hug. So quick that even before he got the chance to hug her back she pulled away.

When she lay down he realized she had forgot to bandage her foot. But he didn't bother to tell her, because she already said goodnight, and was probably already asleep.

He approached her, and sure enough, she was. He felt his heart being melted as he watched her sleeping figure. Even when sleeping she was smiling. He didn't think it was fair how she could always keep a smile, but there she was. He loved that smile. He smiled, running a hand fondly through her hair.

Out of her bag he grabbed the cobweb and wrapped it around her ankle where she was injured. He looked at her sleep for a few more moments before returning to where he had settled for the night. He threw the blanket over his body. With the young princess and her smiling still on his mind, he dreamed his first dream of her.

* * *

 **Aweee! I like this chapter! I like to believe that Branch did like Poppy the whole time which is why he was mean to her. It makes sense, right?!**

 **And poor Popy, she went through so much in this chapter! Poor baby ;-;**

 **#ThatmomentwhenyoualmostkillPoppy 😂 Everyone comment that after you tell me what you think of the chapter! That'd make my day I swear! XD**

 **Not gonna lie I literally spend the ENTIRE DAY writing this for you guys! (Mind you, I did this all on my tablet.) I've never been so inspired in a long time so enjoy it while it lasts XD**

 **I thought I would update because I'm not sure if I can tomorrow being Monday and I might have homework (ugh) which would suck coming back from Thanksgiving Break…**

 **If not I might be able to, idk.**

 **Remember that requests are open! :D**

 **You guys are cool, remember that as well!**


	4. Branch's Way Out (Almost)

_"One...Two...Three…" a four-year-old Poppy was cut short when she realized those were the only numbers she knew how to count. "Uh..." she thought hard for a moment, then shook it off and smiled. "Here I come!" She looked around for her friend in all directions. 'How can he get so far in three seconds?' she thought, putting her hands on her hips._

 _Trotting into the village, she looked for her friend in high hopes of finding him._

 _She had looked a lot of places before she approached a patch of grass. "Branch?" she whispered. She whirled around when she heard rustling. "Branch?" she repeated, somewhat nervous now. "Hmm," she grunted, sitting down on a small rock. She was taken by surprise when she went flying in the air with a scream of shock. She thought when she landed it'd be the end of her, but before she could hit the ground everything seemed to move in slow motion when she felt something fuzzing wrap around her little pink body. It felt warm and safe, kind of like her pillow; it was something that she just wanted to snuggle into. Whatever it was, it brought her down safely. She was flat on her stomach for a moment, utterly confused of what had just happened._

 _She glanced to her side, still flat on the ground, where she saw Branch, who was laying on his belly as well, looking exhausted. He closed his eyes for a long moment and when he opened them he sat up. Moaning, he rubbed his head. Before Poppy could react, dirt ran out of his mouth like a waterfall as he made a "bleh" sound. Poppy scrunched her nose together and knitted her eyebrows in confusion._

 _Poppy ran up to him quickly, punching his shoulder. "Where were you when I needed you?! You're never gonna believe what just happened!"_

 _"Poppy."_

 _"See, I was looking for you and-"_

 _"Poppy!"_

 _"I came across this weird rock and I went to sit on it. And the next thing_ _I_ _knew, I was-"_

 _"POPPY!"_

 _She looked up at him and cocked her head. "Questions?"_

 _He rolled his eyes._ " I was _the weird rock. I'm the one who caught know, with my hair," he explained, irritably, elevating his shoulders slightly and raising his eyebrows._

 _She stared at him for a moment with wide eyes and a blank expression. "Okie!" she shrugged it off with a huge smile on her face, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him._

* * *

Branch was in for a rude awakening when he heard Poppy's cowbell banging.

"A five-six-seven-eight!" the cowbell went crazy, sending Branch's eyes to fly open. "Branch! Wake up! Comb your hair! Comb, comb, comb, your hair!" she cheered, chanting around him.

Branch let out a low, angry groan as he turned to the other side. He wanted to snatch the stupid cowbell out of her hands and throw it miles away. He smiled at this, but once he turned over seeing the young princess singing her heart out, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I knew you could…" she stopped. "I knew you could...achoo! I knew you could do it!" she sang, sneezing once again, plopping down, looking sad and miserable. He knew she was sick- he could tell that from her voice.

"Hey, now," he gave her a sympathetic smile, taking her hands, that felt warm. "We started this and now we're gonna finish it, okay? We'll get out of here. I...I'm sure of it." He smiled despite his uncertainty.

She sniffed, weakly smiling at him. He felt her forehead. "You feel a little warm, wanna take a swim in the ice cold water?" He knew that was a bad joke because she flinched slightly but awkwardly smiled. He didn't realize how much that shook her up. He shook himself. "Let's get moving."

It was all silent as Branch and Poppy walked in the darkness. She was still limping slightly, the cobwebs Branch had put on her leg wrapped around her ankle with the dry blood bleeding through. It was weird without her constant chit-chat, but he guessed it was because she didn't feel well and was still recovering from last night's adventure. Branch wasn't in any rush of getting home, but he knew Poppy had a lot of trolls that cared about her. She was the princess, after all. _Everyone_ cared about her. She was royalty, the future queen of the future of the trolls. But Branch? He was nobody. For all he cared he could stay down here and rot away, but Poppy had a good enough heart to care enough to even look for him, let alone find him and stick with him for this long.

He wasn't sure what he would have done if Poppy drowned. He didn't know if he would try to find a way out and tell the others or just stay there in the dark, never to see the light again. He'd be sad, for sure, but he wouldn't know how to feel about it. He didn't consider them friends any longer. He didn't consider them anything. What they were was only something that almost was. They had a friendship up until he was five, but they grew apart. At first he was upset until he realized nothing could make him happy, _he_ needed to make _himself_ happy. And for three years that worked- he was perfectly fine without Poppy. But as of a few days ago he couldn't see a world without her, as crazy as that sounded.

He thought back to his dream last night- that was really a distant memory now. It was the last time they had played together before everything went bad, and Poppy was no longer his friend. Of course he was his worst enemy, because he fought with himself. On one hand he knew that if Poppy wasn't his friend she wouldn't have come for him. But then again he knew she genuinely cared about others.

Poppy shivered and sniffed once more. "I'll be glad to be back home," said the pink troll, still trying to be optimistic even though she herself was starting to have her doubts; on top of that she felt terrible. Her nose was stuffed and tissues seemed to be the only thing she _didn't_ bring in her bag. "As they say, home is where the heart is," she continued when Branch didn't say anything. He was still deep in thought, Poppy unaware that he once he dived into the unknown pool of his mind, there was no going up for air. Only Branch could stop himself from thinking, Poppy had no control of getting him out of his own mind where he was held captive, trapped in his thoughts. Poppy rambled on about how much she missed everyone, and that she was positive that they were looking for them right now.

Branch stopped on his tracks. The word that got his attention was _us_. "They were looking for us right now!" she had said.

 _They're looking for you_, thought Branch. They wouldn't be looking for _him_.

An idea popped in Branch's head, deciding not to tell her what he was really thinking. "Poppy, we have to go back the other way, towards the ice tunnel!" He slapped himself for not thinking of this sooner. In the left side- the darkest side- was where he found the bunker of the ancient trolls. If that was really the bunker, there would have to be a way out!

She flinched again. Maybe mentioning the icy body water- small but deep- was a bad word choice, but he would soon redeem himself. If all went as planned, Poppy would forget the ice even broke! But a problem still remained when Branch realized the only route they could go was back the way they came, and that meant through the ice tunnel.

"W-Why? I almost drowned last night! Achoo!" she sneezed again.

"You have to trust me. On the left side of the tunnel I saw something amazing. I wanted to tell you- it's how I found you."

"What?"

"Just come on," he grew impatient, "I'll tell you when we get there, you'll see for yourself," promised Branch, taking her warm hand and leading her back to where they camped out for the night. They didn't have to go far to get back there because 1) they were running and 2) they had only been walking for away ten minutes.

Poppy still didn't get what Branch was up to. She thought he was losing his wits until they had managed to get back where they started. Well, not exactly. They were faced with the freezing water again. The ice in the tunnel was now broken apart from when it couldn't support Poppy's wait. She felt her throat go more soar. "Branch…" she whispered uncertainly.

"This is the only way we can get back," he said, remaining calm.

She shook her head. "I...I can't," whispered Poppy.

"We have to. We just have to get across without touching the water."

A light bulb went over with of their heads when they saw roots hanging from the roof of the cave. If those roots dangling from the top could support their weight, they could make it over the icy water without a toe touching the water! "The roots!" they both said, smiling widely then arguing on who's idea it was first.

They eventually compromised by saying it was both of their ideas and arguing wasn't going to get them across. "Okay," Branch took a breath (actually showing his breath because it was that cold). "First things first." He threw the lantern across the water and it landed safely on the ice. Once that pressure of not breaking it was off, he took ahold of Poppy's backpack and threw that across as well. Then he focused on more important matters: getting Poppy and himself across.

"I'll go first," Branch offered, taking a step forward.

"O...Okay," Poppy said. "Be careful."

He nodded swiftly, bracing himself to cross. Poppy looked at him cautiously.

Branch shook his hair slightly, shaking it side to side so it stretched far enough until it wrapped around the roots. He jumped up and down for a moment, making sure it was tightly latched onto the roots so it would support his weight. He took another breath and closed his eyes before jumping. He saw the water and scrunched himself together so he couldn't touch it. He then came to a quick stop. He almost fell on his face but he thought fast, untangling his hair from the root and using it to land properly. His hair slowly went back to its normal size and he landed safely.

"You made it!" Poppy cheered from across the water, jumping up and down excitedly.

"It's not over yet," called Branch, trying not to smile at her excitedly. "C'mon over."

Poppy nervously took a stop closer. _You can do it Poppy,_ he thought, making eye contact with her for a moment. She shook her hair out just like Branch had done until it was long enough. She latched her hair on the roots and swung towards him quickly. She let out a small squeak. "Easy, now. Slowly," he advised. Poppy eventually let it loose, laughing as she swung about. She was so into it that she swung back and forth a few times before jumping down and yelling "Yahoo!"

Before Branch could react, she smiled with glee, jumping on him. "Uff!" grunted Branch, falling to the ground on his face and getting in a mouth full of dirt just like he had in his dream/memory. Except in the memory it was because he wiped his hair too quickly to break Poppy's fal resulting in his face being planted into the ground.

"Oh my god!" Poppy did a little dance, still on his back. "Did you see that?! Now that was epic!" she boasted. "Now onward my noble steed! Gitte Up!"

Branch spit out the dirt. "Peh! Yuck!"

"C'mon steed!"

"I'm not your steed, get off!" he snapped, bucking her off, trying to be a gently as possible because the last time he bucked her off she she went flying fifteen feet in the air, and fat was higher than the roof of the cave. If he bucked her off hardly like he had done she'd hit the _roof_.

"Okay, okay," Poppy said, then murmured. "Mr. Grumpy pants."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," said said quickly, picking up her backpack as did Branch the lantern.

They went to the left, where the darkness had been. Poppy clung onto him. "It's okay," he assured, rubbing her arm slightly, that felt slightly warmer than it did ten minutes ago. "It's just darkness."

To Poppy it felt like a different kind of darkness. Most of the time she wasn't afraid of the darkness, just what was in it. But this was just _darkness_. She feared that once she entered she'd never come back, and she'd just dissolve into nothingness.

She tugged harder onto Branch's arm as they made their way into the swarm of darkness. She closed her eyes tightly. At first, there was nothing. Then, there came the hieroglyphics he wanted to show her since he discovered them. "Poppy, open your eyes," he shook her a little

She slightly loosened her grip on him but still gently held onto him. Opening her eyes one at a time, Poppy gasped, looking at the hieroglyphics. "Wow…that's amazing!"

Branch smiled. "Told ya the dark side wasn't so bad," he teased, nudging her.

She giggled nervously. "Heh, well…" she played with her fingers.

Clearing his throat, Branch explained his plan. "Since this is a bunker where the ancient trolls used to live, there would have to be a safe way out! All we have to do is find it."

Poppy looked uncertain at first, but then nodded happily. "Alright, how hard can it be?"

* * *

 **Okie so I wasn't going to end it here but I thought it might be a good place to leave it for now (because I'm evil that way, always leaving people in suspense hehe) and then I can work on the next chapter and possibly get it out tomorrow because I have it started. The moment I got out of school I've been writing this so that's practically all I've been doing and I've still have homework (oops!).**

 **On a side note I wanted to say there's going to be a few time skips in this story. So they're gonna only be seven and eight for probably only the next chapter in the one after that. Then it'll skip two years. Get it? Got it? Good!**

 **My friend and I were bouncing ideas off of each other yesterday so I want to thank her for helping me with some of the ideas (mainly the funny ideas, for this chapter it was Branch's dream when Poppy just stared at him and was like "..okie!". We DIED writing that, along with the very beginning when she only can count to three XD, other than that I wrote this chapter on my own) because this so far is a bit depressing and as the story goes on it'll be a little more funny as Branch develops to be even MORE grumpy like he was in the movie because I honestly loved his anger. Characters that get annoyed so easily with everyone make my day XD I cannot wait to see the ideas we have in store for you! We spent like hours just talking about it haha.**

 **Please review you guys rock!**


	5. Attending Their Own Funeral

Turns out it wasn't so easy. They had been looking for a way out for almost two hours now. Branch was doing more exploring than actually trying to look for a way out while Poppy was just about losing her mind trying to found a way out, so all and all neither of them were really helping their case. Branch rolled his eyes at the pink troll who was now just singing bogus, strumming her guitar. He was currently sitting on a small rock, reading a book of the ancients. He could not understand the handwriting, but it was still fascinating.

He was surprised that Poppy made it this far without passing out, because she looked like she was going to tip over any moment. Her skin was a lighter tone of pink now, and she was sweating a lot more despite the freezing temperature in the lonely bunker.

She sneezed for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, blowing her nose on the cobwebs. He knew that if she kept doing that her supply of them was going to run low and for the rest of the time they were done here she'd have to walk around with an open gash on her ankle, which was a higher chance of it getting infected.

Then it happened.

She passed out, followed by a loud thud.

Branch clenched his teeth, unsure what to do. He rushed to her with the book still in his hands and putting her guitar- as well as the book- in her backpack and strapping it on her shoulders. Then he picked her up and threw her over her shoulders.

He went a few feet forward. He came across a black, round mat. He tilted his head and stepped onto it. On the right side there was a lever. He didn't know what would happen if he pulled it, but he knew this was the only chance they had to get out. Once pulled there was a large rumble that made it feel like the ground shook open, and before he knew it they were accelerating up. As they got higher, he was starting to see light again. He wished Poppy was awake to see this! There was even more evidence of the ancients. Shelves of scrapbooks, hair combs, rotten fruit, anything you could imagine! _What happened to them?_ wondered Branch.

Once they reached the top he stepped off the mat, and it descended back down immediately. There were now two levers. He pulled the first one, which all that did was bring the elevator back up. The second one opened up the iron inclosed wall. He saw the grass! He trudged on, still in no hurry but he still couldn't believe that they actually made it out.

He was almost out until he heard a "ding" sound go off and he saw that it was Poppy's lily pod bracelet go off. And just like that, it brought her back into consciousness. She snored until she saw what was going on. "Branch…" asked Poppy, tiredly. "What happened?" Still exhausted, she sneezed and blew her nose on his hair.

"Yuck! Poppy!" exclaimed a disgusted Branch. Poppy ignored him and slowly crawled off of him.

She sneezed and looked at her surrounding. "Where…" once she saw the grass, her eyes widened. "We made it!" she exclaimed, embracing him tightly before running outside. It was so nice to see the sun again. It feel crisp on her cheeks. Unless her temperature had rose even more. "C'mon, Branch! You slow slug, let's get moving!" He emerged from the darkness slowly as his eyes tried to adjusted to the light. Poppy cheered some more. "I can't believe we actually made it! You did it Branch, you did it!" she hopped up and kissed his cheek. "We have to go back to the village so everyone knows we're okay!"

Branch stood frozen for a moment as he took in what she just did. He smiled and put his hand on the cheek she had kissed.

"Branch!"

"C-Coming!"

* * *

It was unusually quiet as they made their way into the village. There were no trolls to be found. "It's like a ghost town," Poppy said softly, hugging herself because she knew Branch wouldn't.

Branch wanted to comfort her, but he said nothing. He strained his ears when he heard mumbling coming from the direction of King Peppy's pod, where Poppy lived as well. "Branch?" Poppy asked. "What is-"

"Sh." He covered her lips with his finger. "They're here somewhere, noise is coming from your pod." As they made their way to Poppy's dwelling, Branch tried looking in the window, but he was too short. Poppy was right about one thing: he was short for his age.

"I can't see out of the window," he declared. "Do you think you can hop on my shoulders?"

Poppy nodded, eagerly making her way up. Branch winced when he felt her foot enter his mouth. "Watch it!"

"Sorry," she panted as Branch tried to get the taste out of his mouth. Trolls always walked barefoot, and he didn't know where Poppy's feet had been. She hurled herself up and put her feet on his broad shoulders. He may have been small but that didn't make him any less muscular.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Everyone seems so sad…" Poppy whispered. Her heart clenched to see her fellow trolls so sad. A few of her friends were even crying.

"Can you hear what their saying?"

"Barely." She paused, then came up with an idea. "Branch! Hand me my bag!"

"Okay…"

He handed her the bag, unsure what she was up to. She dug through it. "No." She threw out toilet paper that landed on Branch's nose. He blew them off. "Nope." She threw out her cowbell, hitting Branch on the head. He growled as he rubbed it. "Negatory." She threw her scrapbooking supplies so that the glue stuck to Branch's hair, the scissors were close to cutting his eye open, and glitter filled his nose, causing him to sneeze. "Ah! Found it!" She had finally found her glass cup. She put it to the glass and put her ear to it.

"Princess Poppy will never be forgotten." She heard her father say with a heavy heart. "As long as we remember her in our hearts, she'll never be gone." Her eyes widened. _They think I'm dead?_ She felt a lump grown in her throat. "As for Branch, he was like a son to me. Truth be told I always thought Poppy would marry him one day, them being such great friends when they were little." This caused Poppy's ears to go hot as she struggled to keep balance, almost falling of Branch but he kept her steady.

"Well, what are they saying?" Branch asked.

Poppy gently took the glass of off. "They think we're dead."

"Well, we aren't."

"It's not like they _know_ that."

Branch cracked a smile, "Wanna attend our own funeral?"

Poppy smiled and nodded as she excitedly made her way to the front door. She didn't even bother knocking- for this was her home- as she made her way inside to see trolls singing a song, saddened with grief. The first one to actually realize she was there was Biggie. "Ghost of Poppy, rest in peace! Crossover! Go into the light..."

"Biggie, I'm not a ghost I-"

"You're dead!" twins Satin and Chenille exclaimed, letting out shrieks.

"No, I'm not dead I-"

"Ghost!" Cooper yelled loudly, and a moment later it was a madhouse.

Branch rolled his eyes. _Idiots_ , he thought.

"Everyone calm down," Peppy tried, but no one seemed to be listening.

Branch grew more and more angry. He was never a big fan of loud noises. If they were going to continue to behave this way, they were going to lead the bergens straight towards them! So Branch did the only logical thing that came to mind: he _screamed_. It wasn't anything a troll would normally do if he encountered madness like that, but everyone knew Branch was no normal troll. If they were in his situation, they would most likely sing, but Branch was keeping his promise to himself that he was going to sing. When he screamed, it wasn't very pretty, but he made sure of it that he was heard by _everybody_.

And just like that, everyone seemed to freeze in their place. "How stupid are you people?! Poppy's not a ghost- and I know you don't care about me but I'm not a ghost either. We're not dead!"

It was quiet for a moment, everyone seemed to scared to speak. Many of Poppy's friends and the littler trolls were now scared of Branch because of his harsh words. He saw no need in sugarcoating the truth.

When everyone else was too scared to speak, Creek stepped in. "Put away your anger mate, and take a deep breath." Although he voice was calming to others, including Poppy, who took a breath, Branch wasn't doing anything for _him._ Instead he just simply rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Creek took a breath. "Now I know it may look bad, Branch calling us stupid but let's all just be glad they're alive. And we do care about you, Branch. As for Princess Poppy," he took both of her hands, smiling, "She's back! This calls for a celebration!"

It went from a weeping funeral to a wild party at Creek's word. King Peppy agreed to have a small party because evening was starting to fall and he knew Poppy- wherever adventure she had come back from- needed lots of rest. As Peppy danced with his daughter, he noticed how warm her hands were and how her normal bright pink color was slightly faded. Despite her being sick, she still danced like nobody was watching and her smile was so bright that the sun didn't even need to shine. "Where were you two? I thought I lost you. What would I do if I lost you?" asked Peppy.

"You don't have to worry dad- I was with Branch- I found him in a strange cave. We saw amazing things down there. But I won't tell you, not here."

"Fair enough," Peppy smiled, hugging her once more and letting her go among her friends who were badgering her with questions. When he opened his eyes he saw Branch sitting alone on the grass. He was picking at his food, looking dissatisfied. _Poor lad_ , the King thought with a heavy heart. _How must it feel...to have nothing? No one to love any longer, no one to comfort you when you're lonesome…_ He glanced back at Poppy. She was his whole world. She was so determined to get Branch's colors back that she would do anything. Peppy still had a lot of questions swirling in his mind of their adventure. He was glad she found the young troll and brought him home.

When night fell everyone turned off the loud music and went home, hugging Poppy once more before disappearing into their own pods.

Branch had kept in one spot since the party started and he hadn't left yet. He had nowhere to go anymore. "Branch."

He looked up when he heard the king's calm voice cut through his thought, causing him to jump slightly. He lifted his head to look at him, knowing it was the respectful thing to do.

"Stay with us."

"N-No, I couldn't I-"

"King's orders. I'm not letting anyone sleep outside- not when winter is approaching. The weather is changing."

Branch looked down at the dead leaves, realizing the wise king was right.

"Come, now. You look weak. Let's get you something hearty to eat, and I'll run a hot bath."

* * *

Branch sat in the tub, knees budded and his mind racing. He glanced at the tile wall and saw what it looked like a painting of a troll. Three trolls in total. One that looked like Peppy, one that looked like Poppy, and a yellow troll with pink hair. He took a wild guess that the yellow one was Poppy's mother, which had died when Branch was an infant. One of the paintings had Poppy and her mother holding hands. Every tile on the bathroom wall had a painting. Above the painting of Poppy and her mother was a quote: "As long as we remember the ones we love in our hearts, they're never truly gone." Branch thought about that. He knew he never will forget his grandmother, nor his mother or even his father. But it pained him to know that they were really gone.

He put his hand on the tile and sighed. He didn't care what that old quote said, he no longer _had_ a family.

Through all of the bubble bath Peppy added for him he saw his reflection. He hated the person staring back at him. It was something he never imagined he'd become. Grey. He hugged his knees and rested his left cheek head on his knees, facing opposite of the tile wall.

His eyes widened when the door flew open, revealing Poppy. "Hey Branch I wasn't sure what color towel you liked so I go you-"

She was interrupted by his loud scream as he covered up the shower curtain, only showing his face. He didn't even want to show that, for his ears felt hot and his face was strained with embarrassment. "POPPY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! I'M TAKING A BATH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I'm sorry! I-I was just getting you a towel because you didn't have one!" she explained.

"I don't care! GET OUT!" he screamed, slipping slightly, causing his hand to slap the bar of soap, sending the slippery substance flying in the air and right into Poppy's eyes. She shrieked, and Branch clenched his teeth tightly. He couldn't get up to help her, considering the _circumstances_ of the situation. He closed the curtain completely and sat in the tub, unsure what to do. She'll figure it out… he thought nervously.

He heard her repeating "my eyes!" followed by a loud thud. She blubbered some more as he heard the water run. He felt a lump grow in his throat, feeling bad enough. "Aw, Poppy I-" Once he opened the curtain he saw her _staring_ at him, looking completely fine now, causing him to scream again.

"At first it really stung and then I ran into the door because I couldn't see, and THEN I had to feel my way around until I felt the sink and I washed out my eyes and now I'm better!" She smiled with her teeth and Branch studied her up and down. "...Cupcake?" she offered, pulling a cupcake out her her hair.

Branch twitched his eyes and yelled "GET OUT!" with a shake of his fist and slapping it our of her hands.

This finally got Poppy to leave. Branch was still hot with embarrassment.

Good thing he used bubble bath.

* * *

 **I was a little disappointed from the lack of reviews on the last chapter, but that's okay! What do you think of this?**

 **Happy Friday!**

 **Question: Should I write another story regarding Trolls? Cause I have a cute idea for events that take place AFTER the movie and I came up with the cutest names for Poppy and Branch's kids 😍**

 **Comment "Glitter Sparkles" if you want me to do it! We'll talk details in the next chapter if so :)**

 **Reviews are kinda cool, just sayin' ;D**


	6. No Troll Left Behind

"I don't want to."

"Poppy please."

"No."

"You'll feel better."

"Nope."

"I'll be your best friend."

"Read my lips: noppidie nope nope no!"

That was pretty much the conversation Branch had been witnessing for the past five minutes. He sat awkwardly on their couch with his hands in his lap as Peppy tried to convince his daughter to take her medicine. Branch was still slightly frustrated with the pink troll for walking in on him like that back when he was in the tub but he decided it was best to just look past it and get over it.

Peppy had already wrapped some new cobwebs around her ankle and gave her a sponge bath after Branch's bath to cool her temperature down. Now he just had to give her medicine for that cold, and when it came to Poppy, that kind of thing took a lot of convincing.

"If you don't wanna take your medicine, princess, then I'm afraid you'll have to get a visit from the TICKLE MONSTER!" Peppy exclaimed, a smile glued to his face. He watched her giggling screams of protest as she ran down the hallway, her voice slightly decreasing as she got deeper into the pod. "You come back here you pink fluffball!" the king chuckled, running down the hallway.

Branch remained silent. After a round of giggles and still protesting, Poppy and Peppy came back into the living room. This time he was carrying her over his shoulders and she began to look drowsy. Branch smiled lightly at the sleepy young troll. It was about ten at night, and he and Poppy should have both had been in bed by now.

"I don't _need_ medicine daddy…" she said sleepily.

"Not only does someone need her medicine, but I think she needs to get some sleep as," Peppy pointed out.

"I'm not tired and I don't need…" her eyes fluttered shut. "I don't need...medicine…"

Then Peppy gasped suddenly, and Branch lifted his head swiftly. "Poppy look a rainbow!"

Poppy's eyes flew open at this. "Where?!" Before she realized there was no rainbow it was too late because the medicine had entered her mouth.

"Gotcha!" he laughed.

"Ew! Yuck!" gaged Poppy, who tried to get the taste out of her mouth but it felt impossible. She tried not to throw up as she felt the disgusting liquid roll down her throat.

"Alright, now that you've had your medicine let's get you to bed, little one," said Peppy.

"No Papa...not tired."

"Dont lie," he chuckled. "A princess wouldn't lie to her kingdom if her fellow trolls were in danger, now would she?"

Poppy thought for a moment, surprised she could even think given how drowsy she was. Both her and Branch had been thought a lot in the past few days, and were still very exhausted. "No," she decided. "I guess not." She paused. "But I wanna say goodnight to Branch!" she stalled.

"Then say goodnight," he reasoned.

Her eyes opened as she waved goodbye. "Goodnight Branch!" she smiled as her father carried her away and into her room. Branch just waved quietly. She waved back, closing her eyes and nuzzling into her father's shoulder. He made sure that her eyes were completely closed before he smiled slightly. _A tired Poppy makes an adorable Poppy...wait what?!_

* * *

"Papa?" Poppy asked right before her father was about to leave the room.

"Hm?"

"Where's Branch gonna sleep? I...I hope it's somewhere nice and warm."

"Of course fluffball," he assured, tucking her in a little but more. "I'll make sure he stays in the guest room. No troll left behind."

Poppy smiled at this. "I think your the greatest Papa in the world!"

"Why do you say that?"

"You're a hero! You saved everyone from the dreaded bergens! You still are a hero."

He chuckled. "Thank you sweetheart." he kissed her forehead. "You've been on a dangerous adventure, get some sleep. I want you to stay in bed tomorrow, off your foot. Cobwebs can only do so much. The real key to it is staying off your feet."

"I can still be in the morning song, can't I?"

"That includes dancing, and dancing means you're on your feet a lot."

"But-"

"No buts, Poppy please," the king begged.

"Okay," she said softly, slumping down.

He hugged her tightly. "I love you. I just want you to be safe at all costs."

Poppy hugged him back tightly. "I love you too."

Peppy made his way out of his room and back into the living room where Branch still sat. He couldn't help but sympathize the grey troll, who had been through so much lately. His grandmother's death took a big toll on him, causing him to turn grey. He was too young for the world could break him. All Peppy could do was pray his daughter was successful in getting his colors back, and when she did he would shine bright blue forever.

"Bedtime for you too," the king said softly. "Follow me."

Branch swiftly nodded as he got up off the couch and followed Peppy into the guest room, which was right between his and Poppy's rooms. Peppy opened the door for him. The room was a decent size, and the bed was huge.

"This is the room is usually only used if Poppy has a sleepover with two or more kids. They're lots of fun, you ought to go sometime."

"I have," said Branch softly.

Peppy looked at him for a moment, feeling a little bad for not remembering that he has been in their pod before back when he and Poppy were closer friends. He quickly looked away when Branch could feel his presences staring at him.

He slowly made his way into the room, cold nostalgia chilling him to the bone. He got on top of the big bed, and before Peppy could turn out the light, he was asleep.

* * *

"Branch. Hey, Branch." He was awoken when he felt someone poke his nose. He slowly opened his eyes to see Poppy. "Branch," she repeated, still poking his nose even though he was clearly awake. "Hey Branch. Branch-"

" _WHAT_?!" he whispered harshly.

"I had a nightmare."

He instantly softened, not meeting her gaze. "Oh."

"Can...Can I sleep with you?"

He sighed. "Just stay as far away from me as possible, understand?"

She nodded vigorously and crawled over him. "Poppy!" he growled.

"The other side is further away," she explained.

"Then _go around_!"

"Too late." She heaved over him and onto the other side.

Branch rolled his eyes, plopping down onto the bed, facing the opposite side of her and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes again when he heard quiet shuffling, that started to become louder and louder…

"I see you back there! Move one more inch and-" He felt her warm body nuzzle into his backside as she let out a sigh of content. "Poppy, that's not your side…" he turned to see that she was already asleep. This young princess had no idea what personal space meant, but in the mist Branch's annoyance, he was glad to have her company.

* * *

 **Yeah yeah it's short but it's adorable! (I think anyway).**

 **In other news, I'm almost done with the new chapter of my next-generation trolls story and it might be up and the next few days or so, so yay! So glad to see the support on it and that you guys want me to do it so I will! I won't give away any of the names but one of their kids are fourteen, one is ten, and one is five ^.^ and let's just say their adventurous minds of their mothers can get them in some trouble sometimes ;)**

 **All I'm giving away! Read it to finds out :D**

 **Tell me what ya think of this cute chapter! :)))**


	7. Your Mommy

**Just wanna let you know the next few chapters are gonna be a little sad so brace yourselves. We'll have plenty of funny stuff later in the story but for now we have to get through a bit of the sad.**

* * *

Branch always woke up in a pool of sweat, something he wasn't too happy about, but Poppy, on the other hand was totally fine with it. She was currently sleeping soundly with her arms wrapped tightly around his belly. "Poppy," he whispered, shaking her slightly, but she didn't budge. "Poppy," he said a little louder and shook a little harder.

"Noooo," she groaned, eyes still still tight shut and the lids started to twitch. She was having a dream. Branch rolled his eyes, trying to wiggle out of her grip but froze when she mumbled, "Don't let go Mommy. Hug time isn't over. Please…"

He stayed where he was. Poppy smiled, hugging him even tighter. "I wish, I wish with all my heart I got to know you…" Even though it just a dream, it felt like so much more. Her face held so much emotion, and Branch felt a tug on his heart that forced him to stay frozen in place. He only moved his head and pressed his cheek onto the pillow, hoping to doze off again. When that didn't work it left him no choice but to lay there until Poppy awoke. He felt her nose nuzzle into his grey yet smooth skin.

"No!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Don't go!" Branch hadn't moved a muscle, yet she still screamed in protest. "Don't go! DON'T GO!" the more she screamed the bloody words the louder she got.

"Poppy!" he shook her, knowing it was a good time as any to wake her up. She didn't know she was only dreaming. She spoke in the dream as if she was having a real conversation. "Poppy, wake up!" he shook her, and her eyes flew open.

Her lip quivered slightly until she bursted out crying, throwing her arms around him. He had no idea how to react, yet he knew exactly how to: all he had to do was hug her back, but for some reason he just _couldn't_. He felt the tears run down his shoulder, but he still remained motionless.

It wasn't long after that before Peppy came rushing into the room. "Poppy?" Poppy didn't answer. She clenched her teeth tightly and let more tears fall as she clutched onto Branch. "It was terrible," she whispered, pulling slightly away from him and arching her back.

"Awww," Peppy picked her up and cradled her. "It's okay baby, shh, Daddy's here."

She buried her head into his shoulder, still sobbing loudly. Her breaths were hitched and her words were something that no one could understand. They were muffled against Peppy's shoulder and the only thing the king could do was rub his back up and down in comfort. He embraced her, just hugging her until she eventually calmed down. She looked up to see Branch for a split second, his blue eyes fixed on her and he cocked his head slightly to the right. He looked like a confused puppy. He had that kind of baby face. It was almost enough to make her smile at his antics but she was still a little shaken up.

"Now tell me princess, what was your dream?" He gently set her down on the bed next to Branch. He wanted to do something, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. She squeezed his hand before he could do anything. His ears went hot.

"Well…" she started. "I-It's hard to explain. It was about Mommy. I finally got to see her, and just in that moment it was hug time. I went up to hug her, and I hugged her tightly. And then...and then she was gone." She shrugged.

Peppy frowned. "I miss her too sunshine," he sigh, cuffing her tear-stained cheek.

It was the moment that Branch realized they were a broken family. His heart broke for them both. They had something that he craved the most: love. The love of a father is one of the most precious gifts any child could receive. It was something Branch didn't have from his father, and it pained him to see Peppy and Poppy so close. That might of been the reason why he didn't know how to talk to Peppy. He wanted to change, he did. Being grey didn't just make him feel bad on the outside, but in the inside as well. The only way he could change was let people in. But the thing of it was, he didn't _want_ to. He didn't want to let anyone in because he didn't want them to tell everyone their secrets, he didn't want anyone to get hurt because of him.

* * *

After breakfast- which was blueberry pancakes- it was time for another dose of medicine for Poppy. She took it a little more willingly now. She was still a little droopy and her fever was up to 103. She got back into bed. "You ought to get some rest, too, Branch," said Peppy after he closed Poppy's bedroom door. "I'm sure you are still very tired."

"Um, I guess so," he said. He slept like a baby last night except for the part when Poppy had woken him in the middle of the night. That being said, he wasn't very tired, nor was he sick.

"I'm going to say good morning to everyone," Peppy told him. "If you two need anything I'll be in the village, understand?"

Branch nodded to prove he understood and he crawled into bed. Peppy closed the door, leaving him trapped in his own mind. He stared at the ceiling, trying to make pictures out of it. When he closed his heavy lids, only then he realized he was still exhausted.

He only probably was only sleeping for a half an hour. When he rose, his hair was a hot mess. He ran a few fingers through it and made his way off of the big bed. He then sat on the foot of the bed, sprawling out his legs and shaking his feet back and forth, unsure what to do. Suddenly felt something poking at his fingertips. He frowned, pulling whatever it was out from under the bed. _A scrapbook_ , he realized, not too surprised. He took a breath as he opened it. The first picture was of Peppy and a yellow troll with pink hair, pink eyes, and glitter freckles. In the picture, Peppy eyes were closed as he kissed the yellow trolls head. In the next page was just of them holding hands, and on the next page was Peppy carrying the yellow troll bridal style. They were dressed fancy, so he guessed that must have been their wedding. The page after that was the yellow troll holding baby Poppy, looking down at her lovingly. Branch stayed on that page for a moment until moving onto the next one, which was little Poppy taking a bubble bath looking up at the camera curiously. Branch smiled in amusement. In a way it was payback for her walking in on him last night.

He had just turned the page when the door slowly opened, revealing Poppy. She looked confused at first as her hand lingered on the doorknob, but she changed to a neutral expression as she walked over to him. She sat down next to him, not saying a word, and changed the page, which was only of the yellow troll who was looking at the window and smiled. She had Poppy's smile.

"That's my Mommy," said Poppy, quietly, making Branch jump slightly. "Her name was Sky. She for taken away from me when I was two months."

Branch remained silent, gazing off into the unknown.

"What…" she knew this question would be risky so she took a breath and braced herself. "What happened to yours?"

He snapped out of his trance and stared at her. She was waiting so patiently.

Then he took a breath.

"She was sick," he explained quietly. "After she died, my dad left. I was only a month old. He just...gave me away."

Poppy frowned. "Branch, I'm so sorry. I had no-" she was interrupted when her hug time bracelet went off. Without any words, she hugged him tightly.

He awkwardly hugged back, knowing that he needed this, and he wasn't going to let his pride get in the way of that. He clung onto her tightly, yet gently, burying his head in her shoulders, letting a tear shed

"You're a real softy you know that?" Poppy whispered affectionately.

Branch didn't reply, and in a way he didn't have to. Because little did they know someone was listening to the whole conversation, and had heard both of them crystal clear.

* * *

 **Another short chapter! Yay! What do you think? Who do you think was listening in? (I know it's a little obvious but it's suspenseful work with me!)**

 **Shout out time!**

 **FennecFoxDragon : That was adorable! And I love how you stick to the belief that Branch liked Poppy way before she liked him, and how he would get super flustered despite his cool appearance... anywho, this was amazing! Loved it!**

 **Awww thank you so much FennecFoxDragon! I'm glad you like it and yes, I believe that strongly ;D**

 **sanasings : Little Poppy is absolutely adorable!**

 **I knoooow right?! Fetus Poppy at the beginning and just Poppy in general stole my heart!**

 **Ashleyebb : So excited for the next chapter Love this book! Your way to express words is magnificent!**

 **Thank youuuu! And here I thought the way I express words is terrible heh ;) Love your user btw! My name is Ashley too!**

 **Harmonious Wolf : Love love love this chapter! Great job with everyone's reactions to everything, Branch in particular.**

 **Haha thanks! I thought Branch's reactions were priceless in the movie too XD that's why I wanted to make sure his personality was spot-on for this story. Also thank you for reviewing on my new story! You are the only one who has so far :(**

 **CJ Ambrose : Aw, this chapter was so cute and great! And the part where Poppy sleeps next to Branch reminded me of Theodore from "Alvin and the Chipmunks"**

 **Omg sameee! I was gonna give it a disclaimer but I guess I just forgot lol but thank you for bringing it up! That scene was so cute! Those movies were my childhood hehe. Thanks :D**

 **That's all the shoutouts for today. If you want one review it up**!


	8. Misplaced Trust

**Disclaimer for this chapter: some events of this chapter are based off of scenes from one of my favorite Disney movies Lilo and Stitch! Let's see if you guys can catch them :). Don't own it (I wish XD), nor do I own Trolls :)**

* * *

They had still been in each other's arms until Branch found himself drifting off. Between her silk embrace and her warm body it wasn't hard for him to fall asleep. With his mouth slightly opened he dozed off. Poppy's eyes fluttered shut as well soon afterwards as she held the sleepy grey troll in her arms. And she fell asleep, her head plopping down on his chest.

In the same moment Peppy entered the room. He smiled at the sleeping pair, then walked over to them. Only then did he realize that the scrapbook he had put under the bed five years ago was found. He stopped, hesitantly picking it up. The page was left on the picture of him and Sky holding Poppy in their arms. He felt the tears coming on, so he quickly closed it and put it back under the bed.

His smile came back when he saw Poppy cuddling up against Branch happily while Branch rested his cheek on her head and was slightly playing with her hair, his fingers dancing gracefully around her pink curls, which might have been a sign that he was still awake. He didn't smile, yet his fingers made their way to her glitter-freckled cheeks and rubbed them in circles with his thumb. She snickered a bit in her sleep, murmuring "stop". This made Peppy smile wider. If he kept this up, perhaps, over time, Poppy could possibly be the one to get his true colors back.

He put a blanket over the two, took a few pictures, and closed the door.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Poppy had awoken to see that she had fallen asleep in Branch's arms. She couldn't help but smile when she saw his sleeping figure. He looked...at peace. Her friend always smelt of blackberries, but that was okay because she was told she smelt like raspberries and her hair smelt of cotton candy. Speaking of her hair, his fingers were twisted in it. She pulled at it, trying her hardest not to wake him. When she had done that successfully, she skipped into the living room then into the kitchen to see her father cooking dinner, humming to himself as he did so.

"Hi Papa." She hugged his leg.

"You are awake. Hey there fuzzball," the king smiled, stroking her hair with one had while his other hand remained on the stove. Poppy grinned and closed her eyes, slowly bobbing her head to and fro. There was nothing better than her father's loving affection. "Looks like your temperature has gone down by a few. I'll still give you a sponge bath after dinner, just to be safe. That ankle looks better, too. I'll give you more cobwebs after your bath, and another dose of your medicine because you still sound a bit stuffy, then off to bed."

"All in that order?" asked Poppy, cocking her head. She had already slept most of the day away because she didn't sleep very well last night. It was a rough night for her having those nightmares. One woke up Branch and the other woke up Peppy.

"All in that order." He repeated, smiling and kissing her forehead. "Run along now- I'll set the table and you go wake up Branch, tell him dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay," she nodded, trotting back into the guest room where Branch was still sleeping so peacefully that she didn't want to wake him up. "Branch," she whispered, poking his cheek.

He smiled sleepily, instinctively shooing her hand away. "Hmm?" he opened his eyes slowly.

"Wake up sleepy head! Dinner's almost ready, c'mon!" she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him out but he plopped back down, then held up his foot.

"Drag me," he said, still not awake.

So Poppy took ahold of his foot, trying to move him but she soon realized she wasn't going anywhere and she appeared to look like she was running in place. "You're heavy," she panted for a moment then took his leg with both of her hands and gave a tough pull, causing her to fall right on the floor.

"You have a habit of falling," Branch pointed out, standing up.

"Help me up," Poppy said, unamused by his comment. She had always been a little clumsy and whenever she fell it usually happened to be on him, so she thought she'd switch it up a little. When she held out her hand and he took it, she took him down with her, sending him to fall on her.

"Poppy!" exclaimed Branch, trying to keep his heart from beating as fast as it was. "You have no idea what personal space is, do you?" he muttered, getting back up again and exciting the room. Just as he did so, his hug time bracelet went off. He covered it up even though he knew what was to come. Just in time, little footsteps followed him and halfway down the hall came Poppy. She wrapped him into a hug, smiling. He simply rolled his eyes, ignoring how much his pulse was increasing, and continued walking while Poppy just continued hugging.

Once they got to the kitchen, the princess finally let go of him and rushed over to his father, jumped into his arms, and hugged him tightly. He laughed. "Hug time!" cheered Poppy.

He hugged her for a few more seconds before releasing her and sitting her down at the table while Branch steadily approached the table and sat down. Not even the table, nor the bed, or even the food... This still didn't feel like home.

* * *

Peppy soaked the sponge in cold water and rang it out, then he walked over and applied it on his daughter's belly.

" _Burrr_! It's so _cold_!" she shivered

"I know Popp's, but it has to be done. Another day or so I'd say it'll be safe to go outside."

Poppy was a little sad to know she couldn't go outside tomorrow. She missed how the sun felt on her cheeks. She only got to feel it for only a few hours until she was rushed inside, but it felt like so long, now she was itching to go on a new adventure with her friends.

"Oh," was her only response as the cold water went down her body, cooling her down. She was then wrapped in a fuzzy towel. Before she could dry herself Peppy came in and did it. "Papa no," she protested, trying to pull him away. "I can do it myself!" She hated when her father fussed over her like this. He ignored her protests and finished drying her. Whenever she got out of the bath she looked like a ball of fluff, and her hair sprawled out in all directions. Peppy dressed her in her night gown and began to brush out her hair, standing behind the chair on her desk and looking in the mirror straight ahead, humming a silly tune.

"Branch told me about his parents today," she started the conversation.

His eyes widened slightly but he remained calm. "Really? What did he say?"

"He...He said his mom was sick and his dad left him."

Peppy heaved a sigh. "I know."

"How do you know?"

"I was there when it happened."

"Oh."

It was quiet for a moment until Poppy spoke up again, changing the subject. "Can you say hi to my friends tomorrow? I miss them."

"Of course," he smiled, finishing up her hair so that it was straight.

Later that night Poppy was awoken when she heard crying. She sat up a little bit and strained her ears. The crying was low and distant, but she could still hear it. She buried herself under the covers when she heard footsteps making their way into her room. She heard the door crack open. She pretended to be asleep.

She opened one eye when she saw Branch's back and he was approaching her bookcase. She cocked her head slightly, wondering what the grey troll was doing reading at this time of night. He looked through a few books before he settled with The Ugly Duckling. He opened it on a random page.

Poppy sat up once again, this time budding her knees. "That's the ugly duckling," she said, causing him to jump and look over at her. She pulled the comforter off and sat by him, pressing her body against his shoulder. "Have you ever read it?"

Branch shook his head and looked back down at the picture of the crying duckling.

"See," she pointed at the page, "he's sad because he's alone and nobody wants him," she explained, then turned the page. "In this page his parents hear him crying and they find him. He's happy because he finally knows where he belongs." She gave him a small smile as he closed the book without saying anything. He simply nodded, sniffing as he made his way out of the room with the book still in his hand.

As Branch made his way back to the guest room, his mind still whirled. He was over thinking again. He got back on the bed and looked through the pages, not reading any of the words but just staring at the pictures. He sighed, tracing his fingers on the crying ducklings figure. He wanted to wipe away it's tears, but looking at that crying duckling was like looking in the mirror. He couldn't seem to stop the tears.

At least the ugly duckling had a happy ending.

* * *

A few days passed and Poppy was finally 100% better, which meant she could finally go outside again! As soon as the selfless sun warmed the earth Poppy was outside. She laughed happily, breathing in crisp air.

Fall was finally here! She ran into a few of her friends, who were making a leaf pile. "Hi guys!" she cheered, throwing her arms around them as they welcomed her with open arms.

"How are you feeling?" asked Guy Diamond in his auto tuned voice.

"I feel great! My dad finally allowed me to come out here!"

"We missed you Princess Poppy," said Smidge, giving her a pat on the back.

"Thanks Smidge," Poppy smiled.

"How's Branch?" Satin asked quietly, sounding concerned.

"He's…" she glanced over at the grey troll, who was leaning against a tree, looking down at the ground, void of emotion. "He's fine, Satin, really." She nervously smiled.

"We heard what happened." DJ Suki said, then leaned a bit closer to her. "You know, with his parents."

"Wait a second, how...how do you know about that?"

"Everyone's been talking about it," said Biggie.

"But…" her eyes went big when she realized Branch was approaching them. They all stared at him until hugging him.

"Don't worry Branch, I never knew my father either," Cooper said.

Poppy clenched her teeth together tightly. She knew that was a touchy subject for Branch, and the thing she was still trying to figure out was how her friends knew about that.

Branch looked confused, then he furrowed his eyebrows and pushed the other young trolls off of him. "Are you KIDDING me Poppy? The _second_ you get out here you just have to blab my secrets to everyone?! What's your problem?!" Everyone froze.

Her heartbeat increased and her breaths quickened. He was fuming with anger as he got closer to her. "N-No…" she stuttered, trying to calm herself down. "I didn't tell them about your parents I swear!"

"Yeah. Sure." He began to walk away.

She was now trying to hold back her tears. "No, Branch," she whispered, feeling the tears pickle in her pink eyes as she hurried after him. "Wait, stop!" she grabbed ahold of his hand but he easily slipped it out of her grip and continued walking. She looked down at the ground until giving it another try. "Branch!" When he didn't turn back she screamed louder. "BRANCH! STOP!"

He whirled around. She met his cold, hurt gaze. "WHAT POPPY? What IS it? What can you POSSIBLY want to say?"

She opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't find the words. He took a few steps closer and now he was only an inch away.

"The worst thing was, I actually trusted you."

"But Branch, listen-"

"I _NEVER_ SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOU!" he screamed. His angry and hurt eyes met her pink and confused ones. They just stood there as he loomed over her, breathing heavily. In the same breath his hug time bracelet went off. He clenched his teeth together and ripped it off his arm and throwing it on the grass, not taking her eyes off of her. He continued to stare at her coldly until quickly walking away.

"No," she whispered, picking up the bracelet, unsure of what to do now. She looked around at her fellow trolls who were staring at her questionly. Now all she wanted was to crawl into the soft earth and never return.

* * *

Branch opened the guest room door and frowned. All day he had been murmuring words of disgust about Poppy. He calmed down a little bit, now he was just tired and unhappy. She tried to talk him into coming back but he refused. He wasn't going to stay here any longer, and he told her that. He didn't know where he would go or what he was going to do when he got there. All he knew was that he didn't want to face anyone any longer.

When he flipped on the light he saw something sitting on the bed. At first he wasn't sure what it was, but as he got closer he realized it was The Ugly Duckling. When he opened it up, something dropped out of it and onto the floor. Curious, he got down on his knees and picked it up. It was a pink envelope that was decorated with glitter and flowers. He hesitantly opened it up. Inside was his hug time bracelet. He closed his eyes and sighed, putting it back inside the envelope. Then he found something else.

A letter:

 _Branch,_

 _I know you don't believe me, and I understand why you don't. I just want you to know that I'm so sorry._

 _I know you miss them. I hear you cry at night. Do you dream about them? I know that's why you're so angry all the time, and I get that you don't want anyone to know. Our family is little now, and we don't have a lot of toys. But if you want to...you can part of it. You can live with us, and you can get your colors back. But if you want to leave, you can. I'll remember you though. I remember everyone who leaves._

 _-Poppy_

He could almost hear her voice as he read the letter. He didn't want believe a word, but something about it made him want to stay. Something about it felt _right_. Being raised by the king didn't sound so bad. _But I don't belong here_, he argued with himself. He _knew_ it, and no one could convince him otherwise.

So he took the letter, folded it nicely, and put it in his pocket. Then he took the book, the scrapbook of the ancients, and snuck out the window, leaving his hug time bracelet behind.

* * *

 **Sorry if it's a little sad. Catch the references? The next chapter is going to be the last chapter that Branch is eight and Poppy is seven and in chapter nine is gonna be when they're like ten or something.**

 **smwatson2002 : Awww... how cute! Love how Branch confesses about his mother and father. Can't wait for your next chapter, I bet it will be amazing.**

 **First of all I love your picture! It's so freaking cuteeee! And sad. That scene ;-; Saddest scene but still my favorite! And aweee thanks for the review you are amazeballs! :D**

 **ShadowRiolu119: This is definitely the cutest story ever! Little Branch is adorable!**

 **Awww glad to know my story is cute! As well as little Branch :)**

 **disclaimer : did you copy the story something's not right**

 **I just thought this one was a kind of amusing. No offense (if you're still reading, that is) but just because I have Branch go missing doesn't mean I'm automatically copying Something's Not Right…It's an amazing story btw! Haven't finished reading it though haha!**

 **That's all I got for you guys, see ya later! :D**


	9. Of Flashbacks and Shattered Hearts

Branch tugged his vest close to him. The cold wind blew unforgivingly as he trudged on. He heard the autumn leaves one by one blowing and falling down gracefully on the grass. One landed on his head, which he quickly shook off. He felt something watching him, but when he turned around, no one was there.

But someone was there. "What ever are you doing in this neck of the woods at this time of night? You're going to freeze, mate. Especially not wearing a jacket."

Branch clenched his teeth and his lips formed a scowl at the mocking voice. He didn't have to turn around to see who it was. But he whirled around anyways, his eyes glowing as he stared at the older troll. "What do you want Creek?"

"Oh, just thought I'd stop by to see how you were."

Branch snorted. "I'm _fine_ ," he said sternly. It's not like he _cared_ anyway, thought Branch. He knew he was only doing this to harass him and make him feel bad about himself.

"You don't seem fine. Did Peppy abandon you too? I mean of course it wouldn't be a surprise- your own _father_ didn't even want you." The purple troll folded his arms and smiled while Branch took in what he said, and how _screwed up_ it was. The worst part of hearing what he said meant that Creek was the one who told everyone. He blamed Poppy for Creek's wrongdoings, and he felt terrible. In the midst of his guilt, he was also very angry. He felt the anger boil in his blood and throughout his veins. He was so hot one may feel right to think he could blow steam out of his ears.

Creek's smug smile disappeared when Branch lurched towards him, jumping on top of him. "YOU TOLD!" he screamed. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" He didn't even wait for him to answer before he punched him in the face. He was so angry at him, more angry than he'd ever been in his life.

"I didn't think it'd be a big deal!" Creek yelled back, bucking off Branch, who went flying in the air a few feet. When he plopped back down Creek threw a punch, but Branch thought quick. He rolled over and punched him in the face once more. He was knocked down for a moment until he came back up with his nose bleeding. "Is that all you got mate?" he asked quietly, then slapped him right across the cheek and kicked him in the stomach. His cheek stung like a bee and his he got a sick feeling in his stomach as he held it in pain.

He fell to his knees, and now that he was down this gave Creek an advantage to kick him when he was down. It didn't feel like it would ever stop. Pain pulsed through him everywhere the eye could see. When the reek of blood filled the air at this point he was just numb. When thunder bombed and lightning crashed, Creek instantly disappeared and there Branch lay, bruised and bloody.

It was a long time before he stood up, and when he did, excruciating pain it him. He had a gash on his forehead- he could feel it. He could barely see out of his left eye, which felt extremely swollen.

He walked for a bit longer till he reached his destination. His closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath before he climbed up the ladder that led to Grandma Rosiepuff's pod. He almost slipped as he made his way up there, given that it was raining now and the latter was slippery.

When he finally made it up to the branch, he opened the door of the pod and entered. It was warm, like it always was. He felt like he had just came out of a frozen tundra, and now it was nice and warm. He lit a fire in the fireplace, which was something he knew how to do since he was six. He looked around the pod, feeling his tiny heart not just breaking, but shattering. There was a scrapbook on the floor that he was in the process of making before... _it_ happened. He hesitantly picked it up, shrivels of glitter falling out and on the ground. He sighed, putting it on the shelf. Then he went to Grandma's medicine cabinet, which is where he spotted the cobwebs. _"Cobwebs help with the bleeding,"_ he heard Poppy's voice ring in his head. "Cobwebs help with the bleeding," he muttered to himself, fully taking in Poppy's calm words. He wrapped the cobwebs around the gash on his forehead. _"And some beetlejuice as well. That helps numb the pain. It works with lots of injuries. See, whenever I get a boo boo Papa always give me cobwebs and ice, along with some mushrooms. They have a yucky taste, but they help with the pain."_

Branch looked around for beetlejuice, but there was none. So he went into the kitchen to find the mushrooms, hoping they would be a good substitute for beetlejuice. He easily spotted them on the counter. Just looking at them made him want to gag. All he could do was hope they would be enough to numb the pain as he munched on them. Lastly, he got an ice pack from the freezer and lay it on his leg. His eye was still throbbing, so he set the ice pack back in the freezer for now and got a cloth and soaked it in hot water. He winced at first, but he quickly sucked it up, promising himself it'd make him feel better.

He sat down on the table, cuffing his hands in his chin, looking down at the floor. He felt terrible. Physically and emotionally. Now his head pounded like a drum and his stomach ached. Angry emotions mixed with sad ones. Nothing good had came out of any of his thoughts, and nothing had since he turned grey. It would be a week tomorrow, he realized. That meant it'd be a week since the dreaded bergen took the only family he had left. He didn't want the pain. The physical pain he could take, because it'd heal over time. But emotionally, he was unsteady. He knew the scrapes on his shin would scab over and leave a permanent scar, but it was going to take a long time for his broken heart to heal. Just like the gash on his forehead, his heart had a hole that he couldn't seem to close. It felt cold, and though it was wide open, it felt unwelcoming.

He closed his eyes and tried to rest, but his eyes peeled open when thunder bombed. He jumped, sitting up and setting the cloth in the sink and getting more ice. Then he went back to the living room and sat on his grandmother's old chair. He rocked himself back and forth, feeling the tears prickle in his eyes. More thunder roared and Branch winced, wanting nothing more but Grandma Rosiepuff to sing to him like she always had…

* * *

 **Flashback**

Branch happily sang to himself, cutting out a picture of him and Poppy. "Do you think she'll like it Grandma?" asked the five-year-old troll without looking up. The princess's 5th birthday was coming up and Branch wanted to do something nice for his friend. So he decided he'd make her a scrapbook to symbolize their friendship.

"Of course dear," smiled Rosiepuff, who stopped sewing for a moment and looked down at her grandson admiringly. "It's from you. She loves all of your gifts as well as everyone else's."

"Yeah but she likes mine the BEST," boasted the blue troll matter-of-factly, sticking out his tongue in consideration as he glued his third picture on the construction paper along with other stickers.

Rosiepuff chuckled in amusement. "Don't get too cocky, now. You're not the most important troll in the village. We all have an equal importance. From the tiniest troll to the elders. We are all different, but all at once, we are the same."

Branch tilted his head, his little mind trying to piece together what his grandmother was really trying to say. He put his head back down, swallowing, and trying to focus on his scrapbook. But he quickly looked back up, about to ask her a question but was cut off when the thunder roared loudly and lighting crashed unforgivingly.

The little troll jumped and screamed, hopping onto Rosiepuff as tears filled his eyes. He nuzzled into her, only to jump again when he heard more thunder, and more lightning slashed. He nuzzled into her again, blubbering.

He felt a little better when he felt a hand stroke his back, rubbing it back and forth gently. "Ohh sh-sh-sh, it's okay," Rosiepuff soothed, continuing to rub his back in comfort, then sang a sang to him, as she always did. "You with the sad eyes  
Don't be discouraged, oh I realize, it's hard to take courage, in a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all the darkness inside you can make you feel so small…" she pulled his chin up with her finger, getting him to face her. Tears still filled his eyes and he jumped when more thunder bombed.

Rosiepuff softly smiled, singing more of the sing. "Show me a smile then, don't be unhappy, can't remember when, I last saw you laughing, this world makes you crazy…"

Branch looked up at her, trying to hide his smile. His grandmother always knew how to cheer him up. This was one of his favorite songs. She always sang it to him, no matter what mood he was in. Happy, sad, afraid...she just knew the best times to sing it to him.

"And you've taken all you can bear just, call me up 'cause I will always be there, and I see your true colors Shining through I see your true colors and that's why I love you."

This got Branch to finally look up from where he'd been crying.

"Dry those tears dear child, and show me that angel voice of yours. What do you say?" She have him a soft smile.

He nodded, wiping the tears that had been streaming down his face. So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors are beautiful."

Then they sang together, their voices blending very well together. "I see your true colors shining through (true colors) I see your true colors And that's why I love you So don't be afraid to let them show Your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow ooh ooh ooh like a rainbow…"

At the same time their hug time bracelet went off. He embraced her tightly. "Grandma?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she asked, still hugging him.

"How can we all be different but still be the same?" he asked softly as he stared up at her, waiting ever so patiently for the answer.

She gave him a soft smile. "Well, some trolls have green hair, some have orange hair, some are even special enough to be blue with blue hair and even blue eyes. And the most handsome glitter freckles!" she pinched his glitter-freckled cheeks.

He waved his arms in protest, resulting in Rosiepuff to chuckle. Once she was calm and her hands released his cheeks, she spoke again. "See what I'm trying to tell you is that we may be different, we may make mistakes, but we are trolls- we are all the same. But different. Do you understand?"

Branch nodded and smiled, yet he didn't understand.

* * *

Everything was different now. He looked around the empty room and opened his mouth to sing, but nothing came out. Branch felt himself getting sleepy, so he yawned, his mind already deciding that he was going to sleep here for the night.

* * *

When Poppy woke up the next morning the first thing she did was go into the guest room. Her little heart broke when she found Branch was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that remained was his hug time bracelet. She frowned, exciting the room and going into the kitchen where Peppy had breakfast prepared.

"Papa, what's another word for sad?" she asked, sitting down at the table and picking at her food.

He cocked his head. "What's the matter sunshine?" he asked softly. He never liked it when Poppy was sad. Whenever she was sad, he was sad, and he did everything he could to put that beautiful smile back on her face.

"Branch left," she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Where did he go?" he demanded.

She shrugged. "Dunno. I woke up and he was gone. He thinks I told everyone about his parents, but I _didn't_!" Tears filled her eyes. "You believe me, don't you?" she whispered teary-eyed.

"Of course I do fuzzball," he assured, hugging her.

"What do I do?" she cried. "What do I _say_?"

"First things first, we have to find him. You'll know what to to say when the time comes."

So they headed out, searching for the grey troll. Peppy said good morning to everyone who passed by while Poppy trudged on, determined to find him. "Branch!" called Poppy. "Branch?" she looked in every place she could squeeze through, even if it was in the most silly places. Her and Peppy approached a small pond that must've formed from the storm last night. Right beside it sat a grey spec to a grey blob that turned into a grey shape that turned into the troll she was looking for!

She ran up to him, but slowed her pace when she realized he might have not wanted to see or talk to her right now. So she slowly made her way to the pond and sat down next to Branch, who was frowning at his reflection and jumped slightly when he saw her reflection through the water.

"Hey," she said softly.

Before she could gather up the words, he embraced her tighter than he ever had, burying his nose in his shoulders, letting himself cry. She felt herself heating up, a bit surprised by his actions. "I'm sorry," he whispered, clinging onto her. She expected there would be a lot of yelling, but it was the exact opposite other than Branch's soft crying and murmuring of words. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't you," he weeped.

Poppy was still slightly surprised but she simply smiled. "It's okay Branch." She rubbed his back calmly. He clutched onto her tighter. The way she rubbed his back was just like Grandma had done not long ago.

"Come back with us," she said as she could helped him up. "You could be part of our family."

Peppy nodded. "You're always welcome."

Branch's face fell. This was his chance to finally be happy, but he hesitated. He let go of Poppy's hands. She looked crestfallen as she let them fall to her sides. "But...I...I don't belong…"

She gasped. "What happened to your eye, and your forehead? Who did that?"

They would never believe him. He suddenly became a dear in the headlights. His breaths quickened and his heart pounded. "I...Uh…"

"Branch…?" Peppy questioned.

So he ran, knowing the only place no one could find him was down in the dark, cold, lonely bunker.

And, as we all know, that's where he stayed.

* * *

 **Thus this ends them being seven and eight! The next chapter won't be as depressing, I promise. Have a scene drafted already :)**

 **A question for y'all (I might start doing this on every chapter):**

 **1) What do you think of Branch's flashback with Grandma Rosiepuff? I thought it'd be cute that she sings True Colors to him a lot and in the movie he sings it to Poppy! Thought that was a little creative and ironic :D**

 **2) Kind of similar to the first question, should I put in for flashbacks of Branch's past or nah?**

 **Time for shout outs!**

 **Guest: I'm sure that stupid Creek was spying on them & told everybody! I feel so bad for branch and poppy, things were going great between them.**

 **You were right! I know right? Of course when everything's going okay something has to go to hell because that's the type of writer I am XD**

 **SKLOVESANIME (guest): awwww... this is so amazing please update sooner and the fact that Branch loves Poppy all the way back is so good...**

 **Yassss! I'm telling you guys it's true! Did you see the way he looked at her invitation?! You can't HATE someone and look at something they gave you that way! I'm sorry I'm really passionate about this topic as you can see lmao. Thanks!**

 **Sandrastar1: more soon plz**

 **Wish granted ;D**

 **LBthebookworm (guest): awwwwww! This chapter was so sad! Adorable, but sad. Quick question: did you get the ugly duckling thing from Lilo and Stitch?**

 **Yes I did! One of the many references :)**

 **Please tell me what you think!**


	10. Mr Leaf and Mr Dinkles

**~Three year time skip~**

"Lalala!" Poppy trotted around the forest, letting the crisp air be her guide. She wanted to go on another adventure today, but she just didn't know where. She had always done this, sometimes with her friends and other times alone. Most of the time the only reason she was alone because her friends were sleeping. Poppy's favorite time to go on a new adventure was when it was either early morning or late evening, where everyone was bundled up in blankets or getting ready to doze off. Poppy usually rose awake at the crack of dawn and went to bed at about 1 or 2 in the morning. Her father never liked this, and said that a growing princess needed her rest to be bright-eyed and bushy-haired by eight to prepare for the morning song. Poppy had explained to him time after time that not just princesses needed rest- every troll needed rest. When that didn't help her case very well so instead told him that she was always bright-eyed and bushy-haired. By then Peppy would smile in amusement, run a hand through her hair, and murmur: "So adventurous. Just like your mother."

Poppy would smile at this. As Poppy skipped through the forest, she had no idea where she was going. But that was the fun of it.

She came across a leaf about half her size. She bent down to reach its level, as if she was talking to a child. "Hello Mr. Leaf!" she said, then changed her voice to talk for the leaf.

"Hello princess Poppy." She took it by the stem and shook it slightly so it looked like it actually talking.

She then pulled a cupcake that she had brought from her hair and held it up. "Cupcake?"

She changed her voice again, "Oh, would I ever?" he feed Mr. Leaf the cupcake making "om num num num" noises until she was interrupted by an annoyed voice asking, "what are you doing?" She whirled around, cupcake and leaf still in her hands, to see Branch standing about five feet away from her. He looked angry, as always. But Poppy was still glad to see someone up at this hour. Branch was the only troll she knew other than herself that got up this early. Then again Branch was not a morning person, but Poppy guessed he just didn't like people waking him up, and he liked waking up on his own time. Most of the time he did stay in his lonely bunker but when he did come outside it was either because Poppy wouldn't leave him alone or because he wanted to come out which was a rare occasion that happened to be happening right now.

"I made a new friend," explained Poppy. "Come say hi!"

Branch rolled his eyes. "You do realize that's just a leaf right?"

Poppy gasped as if he had just said a curse word. "Don't talk that way about Mr. Leaf!" she changed her voice again. "Oh that's okay Poppy," the "leaf" said sadly. "I am only a leaf." Poppy's jaw dropped as she looked at Branch as if he had done something terribly wrong. It was almost enough to convince him that he _did_. "I'm so sorry about him," Poppy reassured the leaf. "Don't listen to him! Want another cupcake?" she pulled another one out of her hair, followed by more "om num num nums" "Why thank you Princess Poppy!" "Such manners," she changed her voice. " _Someone_ should take notes!" she leaned her head towards Branch, who had his arms crossed over his chest

"I'm not taking notes from a leaf."

"Well you should," urged Poppy. "He's nice, the complete opposite of you."

Branch scruffed but said nothing.

So Poppy approached him, setting down the leaf gently on the ground, and put her sticky fingers on the left side of his face where his mouth began and traced down so it looked like he was smiling.

"Ew! Cupcakes!" the eleven-year-old troll exclaimed, brushing off the cupcake that was now on his arms, which meant they were contaminated with Poppy's germs. Unsure what to do, he wiped it on his vest, sad that it had come to this.

Poppy skipped circles around him. "Wanna go on an adventure with me?" she asked cheerfully.

"Only because I need to collect more wood," mumbled Branch, pretending not to show any emotion although he admired the princess's cheerfulness given it was so early. Part of him, deep down, knew the true reason he agreed was because he wanted her company.

"Alright, let's do this!" she skipped ahead of him as he fell behind, not taking his eyes off the pink troll.

Over the past three years, Branch had become a lot more aware of things. Sometimes it was useful, other times it made him a little paranoid and protective. He'd done a lot of work to make his bunker feel more like a home. He collected wood daily to make sure it was toasty enough for winter. It may have been in the middle of June, but nonetheless he was prepared- if he went to collect wood in the snow he'd freeze. He also collected random things that he found on the ground that he thought would be useful later on. He had brought a lot of things from Grandma Rosiepuff's pod down into the bunker. She had a lot of books that were on bergen survival guides. If a bergen ever did attack, he'd be ready for it.

As he eyed Poppy, he couldn't help but feel that he needed to protect her. She'd make a perfect snack for a hungry bergen, or anything in that matter. A bergen in particular would prance around like unicorn all day if they got Poppy. She was hands down the happiest troll in the village, and though he didn't show it, Branch admired her for that.

"Isn't this fun?" Poppy asked, skipping a few feet in front of him. "One time my friends and I were…"

He tuned her out and began to search for more firewood. There were a few skinny sticks laying on the ground, which he picked up, knowing that every little stick counted.

"...And then Smidge ate some blueberries, and you'll never believe what happened next! A few hours later she was starting to itch a lot and then we found out she had an allergic reaction to them! Thank goodness it wasn't poison ivy because- huh?" Poppy looked over her shoulders to see that Branch was poking around at her backside suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Branch sarcastically smile. "I'm just looking for an OFF BUTTON!"

She stared at him questionably until she simply laughed. "I don't have an off button!" She paused, then continued on with her story. "Anyways, I was going to check on Smidge but before I could do _that_ I had to take my vitamins that my dad always made me eat because apparently they make a troll strong and healthy…"

Rolling his eyes, he tuned her out again and searched for more firewood. He scratched his head again and searched in a bush. There was no wood or sticks, but there was definitely something in the bush. It glowed bright yellow. Branch cocked his head. Curious, he rubbed it. It had a weird, fuzzy texture. Before Branch could even fully get his hand on it, it _expanded_ , letting out a "mew" sound, just about scaring Branch to death. He shrieked.

"Branch? What's wrong?" Poppy asked, running up to him.

"S-S-Something in the bushes!" he stuttered. He heard rustling in the bushes, making quite a ruckus. He shivered, getting behind Poppy. "Eat her first! Eat her first! I don't taste good, she does! Eat her!" He pushed her closer to the bush as if she was some kind of shield.

Poppy furrowed her eyebrows, concerned how willing he was to throw her under the bus.

Out of the bushes appeared a worm with a yellow head, black beady eyes with pink around the edges of it. As for its body, it had a light tone of green with pink stripes. "Mew," it said, staring up at them.

"Aww, hey there little guy," Poppy cooed, taking a few steps closer to the worm.

Branch remained behind Poppy, still a bit scared. "What is that thing?!" he asked.

"It's a glow warm, silly! They're typically born in the summer. Their parents leave then after birth to fend for themselves."

 _That sounds familiar. Looks like we have something in common,_ Branch thought.

"Hey I have an idea!"

 _Uh oh, that's never good._

"Why don't we take him to the village?"

"What?! Are you mad! You don't know what he's capable of! He could grow up to be _huge_ for all you know!"

"Branch, don't you know anything about glow worms? They're cute and cuddly, and rarely cause any trouble. He's not gonna get very much bigger, probably only a few inches. Glow words make a great companion for anyone. Maybe he could stay with you."

"No no no," Branch shook his head. "It doesn't go _anywhere_ _near_ my bunker."

"Fine," she smiled, "you can hold him then!" She picked it up and handed it to him. He tensed, clenching his teeth together and stretching his arms out as far as he could, not wanting the worm up in his face.

"How do you know it's a _him_?"

"It's simple. The males tend to have four stripes and the females only have three," she explained.

Branch nodded in understanding, counting the worms stripes just to make sure before he called it a him. (Of course he would still call it an it until he found that it wouldn't cause any trouble.) Sure enough, there were four stripes clear as day on the little worms body. "Say, how do you know so much about glow worms?"

"Creek's father used to study them back in the day. He had one before I was born, but she died of old age, unfortunately."

Branch remained silent at the mention of Creek's name. As they walked down the clear path of the undergrowth, Branch was still holding the worm as far away from him as possible. When he really looked at it, it wasn't cute and cuddly at all. In his opinion it was creepy with its black eyes staring into his soul. He didn't want to admit it but he was still a little freaked out by it.

His eyes widened when it wiggled out of his grip and crawled on his arm and onto his shoulder. "Mewwww!" it exclaimed happily in his ear, sending Branch up a mile high.

"AH!"

Poppy turned her back and stared at him questionly. "What's the matter?"

"Here! YOU take it!" he took the worm off his back and shoved it in Poppy's face.

"Him," she corrected quietly, taking him and putting him over her shoulder.

* * *

Once they got back the village, everyone was waking up. Poppy trotted happily while she said good morning to everyone, the glow worm safely in her hair. They said good morning to Branch, too, but he just nodded awkwardly and refused everyone's effort to try to hug him. It was a rare occasion for him to be out and about unless he was collecting wood, which is what he was originally intending to do but he agreed to go with Poppy to the village and tell her friends what they have discovered.

Once she got to them, they greeted her with hugs. "I have something to show you guys!" said Poppy excitedly. "Branch and I found something!"

This peaked their interested. They asked her millions of questions before she pulled the glow worm out of her hair.

"He's so cute!" DJ Suki exclaimed.

"Oh my god!" Smidge said.

"He's precious!" said Chenille.

"Lemme see guys!" Biggie said, jumping up and down but he couldn't seem to see what all the fuss was about.

"I have an idea! Whoever gets to name him, gets to keep him!"

This caused everyone to start shouting out names.

"Rainbow!"

"Glitter!"

"Sunshine!"

"Cupcake!"

"Uh...Ripjaw!" Branch tried, just for the fun of it. "Shredder! Creepy!"

This caused everyone to look at him blankly for for a moment then continued to shout names.

Biggie thought hard although he still couldn't see what it was. So he shouted the first thing that crossed his mind. "DINKLES!"

The worm finally looked up and cocked his head. "Mew?" It jumped out of Poppy's arms and wiggled to where Biggie was.

"Aww, you _are_ precious!" cooed Biggie.

"Looks like he's found his owner," Poppy smiled.

"Take care of him mate," said Creek.

"Dinkles," Biggie smiled, petting the worm and picking him up. "Mr Dinkles."

* * *

 **I like this chapter! How Branch is creeped out by Mr. Dinkles I think is hilarious because I was a little creeped out by him too tbh XD Kinda thought it was a cute way to introduce him though!**


	11. Branch's Eggnog

**So the holidays are upon us and I thought I would write the next few chapters revolving around them! From the beginning of December to Trollmas and all the way to New Years! Yaaayyyy!**

 **Honestly it doesn't feel like Christmas so I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit by writing this haha.**

 **Enjoy I own nothing!**

* * *

The first snow was early this year, just like Branch predicted it would be. The autumn leaves had fell off the trees before October began, which was a sign that winter was going to arrive early.

It had to be about midnight by the time the grey troll finished picking up the last of his sticks for his fire. He had been collecting them since summer, and his hard work finally pulled off when he arrived home and lit his first fire of the bitter winter. He feed the fire by crumbling a few papers, not wanting to use up all of his wood. It wasn't too cold out right now, so there was no need in wasting perfectly good wood on a not-so-cold night. The fire crackled as he did so. When it looked like the fire was at his best, he closed the lid and rubbed his hands together, proud of his work.

He sat down on Grandma Rosiepuff's old chair, letting himself breathe. He breathed in the burnt wood, for it was his favorite smell other than Poppy's cotton candy smelling hair…

Did he just think that?

Yes, yes he did.

Branch decided that he'd sleep here near the fire whether then going to his room. It was warmest here, and he felt no motivation to get up. He settled himself on the recliner, pulling the lever that sent it as back as possible. He didn't need a blanket given it was so warm.

He curled himself in a ball and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

When Poppy woke up the next morning her window was frosted. From what she could see out the window, snow was here! She ran out of her room, shouting "snow day!" over and over again, bursting into her father's room. "Wake up! Wake up!" She jumped onto the bed and jumped on his belly. "Dad, it's a snow day! Come play outside. Cmon cmon cmon!"

"Okay, okay," Peppy yawned. "I'm up."

"Alright!" Poppy exclaimed, making her way outside. She had gotten so close to the powdery paradise that a chill went down her spine but was stopped when pink hair was wrapped around her belly and she was dragged back a few feet. "No Daddy!" she protested.

"Hold on, you gotta get your coat on," he laughed, slipping her pink coat over her silk gown pajamas. Poppy was about to leave until she was stopped again. "And your mittens."

"Right." She put them over her pink hands.

"And…"

"Dad!" she whined, eagerly shaking and glancing outside, where trolls were already throwing snowballs at each other.

He remained calm and collective. "And your boots." He pulled them out of the closet and handed them to her. Poppy slipped them on before be could even take one breath. "Bye dad- wait, I almost forgot!" She ran back inside and hugged him tightly, almost knocking him down. "Hugs!"

Peppy laughed, hugging his daughter back. She wiggled out of his grip, kissed his cheek, then ran back outside and into the snow. "I'll be out there soon! Stay where I can see you!" he called. "And don't eat the yellow snow!" He wasn't sure if she heard any of that, all he could do was hope that once he was dressed he wouldn't come outside to see his daughter eating the yellow snow or even worse not to see her at _all_.

Poppy made her way into the snow, skipping happily as her footprints creased in the snow. How she loved these times. It was the first of December, which meant there was only twenty-four days till Trollmas! Trollmas was Poppy's favorite time of the year. In her eyes it was more about the giving than the receiving. She was already working on invitations for her and Peppy's annual Christmas party where they would dance, sing, carol, drink eggnog, and exchange gifts. _Everyone_ in the village attended that party except one troll: Branch. Poppy had been begging him to come even before Trolloween, and before she even started the invitation. She knew she would have to work extra hard on his invitation and come up with something really great to convince the grey troll that the party was going to be great. After all she knew for a fact that Branch _loved_ eggnog, and convinced herself that he was storing it in his fridge down in his bunker. When she told him her theory he of course rolled his eyes. But be didn't deny it. "Maybe I am," he had said. "Maybe I'm not."

Poppy first spotted Biggie just outside their pod, Mr. Dinkles on his shoulders. The two has been attached to the hip since her and Branch first found the glow worm and gave it to him because he named him. The worm had grown a few inches, still not fully grown but had become fat off all the food Biggie gave him. He took lots of pictures of his pet and hung them up on his wall, and even made him a small top hat. Biggie didn't have any siblings or anything to look after, so Poppy guessed it was nice for him to have something to take care of.

"This is snow Mr. Dinkles," he was saying as he stepped out in his coat. "It's cold and slippery but it's lots of fun, you'll like it a lot."

Poppy scanned the clearing. Next she spotted six-year-old Violet who was looking at the snow and cocked her head.

"Mom, are you sure this snow is sanitary?" asked Violet, setting a foot on the snow and immediately wincing. "It looks questionable to me!" **(1)**

Before her mother could answer Poppy stepped in when she realized she was gossiping with the other. "The snow is great!" she said. "It's just frozen water, when you think about it." She let a snowflake fall on her tongue and it dissolved into water.

"Oh, Princess Poppy!" she bent her head and bowed. "I'm not afraid of no snow!" She puffed out her lip and stepped in the snow while Poppy continued smiling. "Ooo, too cold too cold!" She ran back in.

"Don't pretend like you like something just because I'm here, or just because everyone else does in that matter. I won't look down to you for it," Poppy said.

Then her lip quivered. "It looks looks like you are to me!"

Poppy frowned, realizing Violet must've thought she meant looking down in a literal sense. But she didn't tell her it was a metaphor. She got down on her knees and bent down to her level. "Is that better?"

Violet nodded shyly.

"Now come on out," smiled Poppy, feeling a song coming on. "It's lovely whether for a sleigh ride together with you!"

After finally getting Violet outside of her pod as well as her comfort zone and talking to her friends for a while, Poppy decided she'd visit her favorite grey troll. She had made this decision since she had woken up and secretly hoped he'd come out, but when he didn't she took matters into her own hands. When Guy Diamond had found that the pond had frozen over, that was double the fun which was something Branch _could not_ miss out on. Before she got on her ice skates, she thought it wouldn't hurt asking the grey troll if he wanted to join them outside and maybe he could stay till night time and have some hot cocoa around the fire.

She felt someone grab her sleeve. "Where are you going? Don't you wanna skate with us?"

She whirled around to see Creek. "I'm going to ask Branch if he wants to come out and join us," she explained cheerfully, about to leave but she was stopped again.

"Poppy, do you honestly think he's gonna come out? The only reason he goes outside is to collect things. He hasn't been to your Christmas party in like three years! And he didn't even stay long."

Poppy didn't want to tell him about her special invitation now that he had said what he said. She brushed off her friend's words and shrugged. "He may come this time!" She kept her smile, trotting to Branch's bunker.

Once she arrived, she wiped her feet on his "Go Away!" mat (because hey it was only polite) and knocked numerous times on the boulder in front of his home. "BRANCH, BRANCH, BRANCH!" she called. "Branch are you in there?!"

Unfortunately, Branch had been in the middle of taking a huge gulp of eggnog and had spit it out when he heard the pounding on his boulder. Why did he even bother? He _knew_ this was going to happen. He clenched his teeth together angrily before he pulled the lever that opened up his "Go Away!" mat that only revealed his glowing blue eyes, knowing he wasn't going to be left alone until he answered.

"Yeah?" he asked impatiently.

The pink troll just smiled. "I just thought I'd invite you to play in the snow with us! The pond is frozen over, and everyone is skating! And at sunset we were gonna build a fire and when night falls we'll bundle up drink hot cocoa. Oh! Maybe we could even-"

"No," Branch said before Poppy could finish. They did this every winter. They played in the snow, built a fire, snuggled up in blankets and talked about the holidays while sipping on hot cocoa with whipped cream on the top. Branch didn't want to be part of that because for one he wasn't fond of Trollmas anymore and he disliked hot cocoa. In his opinion eggnog was where it was at. Also it meant going outside, and he would much rather stay in than go out because going out meant a possible Bergen attack.

"Awe, c'mon!" Poppy tried. "Why do you wanna be cooped up in here anyway? You don't wanna be alone this upcoming Trollmas, do you?" She cocked her head.

"Sometimes it's better to be alone," he murmured, realizing he had indeed said that aloud.

"But Branch, don't you wanna spend time with your friends?"

"Ah, ah, ah," he sounded somewhat amused, "they are _your_ friends. Yours. Not mine. Yours."

Poppy sighed and grinned. "Oh, don't fight it!"

"Nope," said Branch, popping the 'p'.

"Okay, if you won't do it for them, do it for _me_."

He snorted, trying not to burst out in peals of laughter. "Psh, yeah. That helps your case real well, Princess."

"Great, I thought so too!" she laughed. "So you'll come out?"

"I was being _sarcastic_!"

She thought for a moment. "Well played. Anyhow, if you won't come out, I guess I'll just have to come in!" Before she could even think to jump in Branch closed the slot and locked it. But Poppy didn't give up. "Branch!" she knocked on the boulder once more. "I won't give up nah nah, I won't give up nah nah let me-"

"Stop singing!" Branch called from his warm bunker that always smelt of burnt wood and eggnog at this time of year.

"You're right," said Poppy. "I'll carol instead!" she began to carol a song that she hoped would get him in the Trollmas spirit. "I wish you a merry Trollmas I wish you a merry Trollmas I wish you a merry Trollmas and a happy new year!"

"Go away Poppy!"

"I don't want a lot for Trollmas-"

" _Stop!_ "

"Have yourself a merry little Trollmas-"

"STOP!"

"Last Trollmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away-"

"Poppy if you don't stop singing-"

" _Caroling_ ," she corrected. "And what are you gonna do about it anyway?" she challenged. "You won't even come _out_!"

It was quiet for a minute until Poppy stained her ears to hear gulping. "Looks like you have enough eggnog to go around," she said.

The slot opened up again, and Poppy was once again face-to-face with his cold eyes. "How do you know I was drinking eggnog?!"

"I _told_ you! You have like a life supply of it down there, I just know it! And trolls have great hearing with ears like ours! _And_ I knew the sound you make when you gulp it down. _Glug glug glug_ ," she did a not-so-great impression of him, trying to make her voice deep but was failing miserably.

"That's how EVERYONE sounds when they're drinking, stupid," he muttered crossly.

She ignored his remark about how everyone sounded and made sure she definitely ignored the part about her being stupid because she was smart enough to know about his stash of eggnog. "If my theory is not mistaken, you have been storing eggnog in your bunker because you are addicted to it."

"It's _not_ an addiction," he said defensively. Sure he loved eggnog especially around the holidays and did have a stash of it in his bunker, that didn't make it an _addiction_. Nor did it make it any of _Poppy's_ business.

"Okie, then a hobby?" she asked.

"It's not a _hobby_ , Poppy. It's just something I _like_."

"Yeah, that's a hobby."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't you know anything? A hobby is something you do!"

"Yeah, an action. Drinking eggnog is an _action_. Like singing and dancing!" she smiled, doing a miny dance. She was about to break into song but Branch stopped that before it could begin.

"No. Singing."

"Scrapbooking? That's a hobby."

"I don't scrapbook."

"Hm, looks like we need to find you a new hobby. Something troll-ish, you know? Something that suites you." She thought for sure moment. "Ah! Like poetry!"

Branch went quiet, actually thinking about that. He had written some little poems when he was younger but he no longer did that because he lost all inspiration.

"You're so annoying," he mumbled under his breath, closed the slot, and moment later he emerged from behind the bounlder snd was standing in front of her, knowing she'd eventually break him and make him come outside. "Happy?" he asked.

Poppy nodded, grinning ear to ear. "Very!"

* * *

 **There ya go! The first of three of the cup holiday chapters I'll give you!**

 **1) I got that from Tarzan, probably one of my favorite Disney quotes lol**

 **In other news, I'm thinking changing the title for this story. So if anyone has any suggestions please let me know and I will consider them!**

 **Time for shout outs!**

 **FloofyFox: Lol I agree! He was just... there.** **Anywho, I completely loved this chapter. Keep up the great work!**

 **Thanks FloofyFox! Love your name, it's fun to say haha. And yes someone finally understands about Mr. Dinkles. He was kinda like one of those characters that you have no idea why he's there. Like Cloud Guy XD**

 **sanasings: Great chapters. Love the background you have us between Mr Dinkles and Biggie. Super cute! Grandma Rosiepuff singing True Colors was a perfect touch. I feel like the flashbacks could be added in an artful way to further the development of the story.**

 **Thanks! I thought the flashback was perfect too :)**

 **Emersonian: Such a cute chapter**.

 **I know right :D**

 **Imma go eat dinner now byeeeee 😁✋**


	12. How Poppy Taught Branch How To Ice Skate

As Poppy dragged Branch through the snow he was immediately starting to regret his decision. If he would have stood his ground and not have said anything maybe the princess would leave him alone. Not likely, he thought, forcing his legs to move until they finally made it back to the village.

"I gotta get on my ice skates first- wait, do you have any?" asked Poppy. Branch shook his head.

"Good thing we have extras! Follow me!" She gripped his hand again and opened the door that lead to her pod then dug through a closet, hitting Branch in the face with just about every item that was in there.

He dodged. "Poppy!"

She ignored him, digging through a few more things until she found two pairs of ice skates. "They were my dad's when he was younger. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you borrow them." She handed him the ice skates, and now he just felt like going home. He didn't even want to be out here in the first place. He didn't even know _how_ to ice skate and didn't have the patience to learn. But instead he slipped them on without a word, feeling as if he told her that he didn't know how she'd laugh at him. He was...embarrassed.

"C'mon!" she excitedly took his big hand in her little one and he was dragged back into the bitter winter.

They made their way to the pond, and Branch was still feeling a little uneasy. His stomach twisted even more when he remembered the ice cave that Poppy had almost drowned in three years ago, but it didn't seem to bother her one bit. She took off on the ice happily, bumping into Creek in the process. He laughed and they spun each other around, which only made Branch's belly churn even more like a twisted root.

His heart pounded when he imagined the worse case scenario of the ice breaking and not just Poppy, but everyone would fall in. They would make a great trollsicle for a bergen strolling by. Branch shuttered. He was more worried about Poppy and everyone else than falling on his face, and that's what made him hesitate the most.

"Come on Branch!" Satin called.

"It's lot of fun," added Chenille.

"Slippery, but fun!" cheered Satin in the same breath as the sisters slid across the ice.

By now he felt as if a thorn was probing through him just by the thought of going on the ice. What if one more troll got on the ice it'd give away? He didn't want to be the cause of that! If not that, when he got in everyone would see that he had no idea what they were doing and laugh at his clumsy butt as he lay still, face planted on the ice as it froze his heart even more.

Branch 1: Seriously? Again? Stop overthinking!

Branch 2: But it's not safe! There's no structure or order- and who know that ice is thick enough? It could be melting as we speak! Haven't you ever heard the expression "You're skating on thin ice?" It's not always a metaphor, you know.

Branch 1: Oh come on! Trolls are tiny, and the pond is quite big. I mean I'm sure _ten_ more trolls could fit on it. Enough with the excuses, get out on the ice! Have some fun!

Branch 2: If they find out I have no idea how to skate they'll laugh at me…

Branch 1: Come on! First safety now you're telling me you can't ice skate?! That should be the least of your worries. They won't laugh at you. Poppy certainly won't. Wink wink ;)

Branch 2: Oh shut up!

Branch 1: In all seriousness she'll help you, she helps everyone! Now GO!

It was clear that Branch 1 had won this argument because the grey troll had finally forced his feet to move from where they had planted on the ground and his legs moved as fast as he could carry them. His eyes widened a bit when he went flying a few feet in the air. "Gah!" he exclaimed, falling flat on his face just like Branch 2 had predicted.. "Oww…" he murmured, rubbing his head and groaning. Sudden pain pierced through his elbow that was now bleeding a little.

This caused everyone to crowd around him and ask if he was okay, which is something Branch 2 didn't even think about. He didn't even think of the possibly that they actually cared about him.

Poppy skated her way through the crowd, the last of everyone to come but she was more concerned than anybody that someone had gotten hurt, even though she didn't actually see what had happened. "Excuse me," she said politely as she made her way over to the injured troll. Once she got to the front her eyes widened. "Oh dear," she whispered sympathetically, attempting to help him up.

"Leave me alone," he moaned. "I'm okay." It was just a scratch, really. It didn't look like anything major to Branch but in Poppy's eyes it must've looked like a severe injury because she was looking at him like he was dying, which he certainly was not! Branch guessed this was because Poppy had never faced a real injury, nor really a real _problem_. Perhaps that's why she was so happy all the time, and he could not blame her for that. This made him wonder how she would react if their was a real problem, like a bergen attack for example.

She ignored his protests and helped him up anyways. "I'll be back everyone," she said to her fellow trolls. "I'm gonna go home for a bit and get Branch cleaned up. In the meantime, dad, you're in charge." Although Poppy was trying to sound responsible and wise this made everyone giggle because her father was _always_ in charge anyway. He was the king, after all.

Peppy decided to go along with it, "Thank you Princess Poppy, it means alot coming from you. It truly is an honor."

"No problem! Take care of 'em, make sure they cause no trouble." She winked at her father, making everyone laugh even more at the princess's cluelessness. Branch just rolled his eyes as she dragged him away and back in the pod again.

She set him down on the kitchen table where while she got his medicine Branch decided to take matters into his own hand and try fixing the wound himself by us poking at it and seeing how much pus would come out which was not really helping his case. But none of the supplies he used down in his bunker to help with injuries were here. So he just played with it until he felt another presences.

"Don't do that," she said softly. "Here." She placed the hot cloth on him. He winced, wanting to scream in pain but he held his tongue. "It'll help. Along with your old favorite, cobwebs," she smiled softly, taking off the cloth after a few minutes then wrapping them around his elbow. "Better?"

Branch slowly nodded. "Alright, the day is still young! Let's get back to skating!" she was about to leave until she realized Branch was still sitting down sadly. She frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him.

"I don't...I don't know...how...to...ice skate," he said slowly, spitting out each word like it was a bad food.

He expected the pink princess to burst out laughing, but her expression went from a frown to a sympathetic smile. "Awe, that's okay! I'll teach you!"

* * *

"Branch!"

"No."

"Branchhhh!"

"I don't wanna."

"Oh, c'mon! You're never gonna learn standing there like a frozen statue!"

"I never even agreed to let you teach me! I'm perfectly fine learning on my own."

Poppy crossed her arms. "Okay, then show me what 'learning on your own' looks like," she challenged.

Branch swallowed, not expecting that. "Uh, you wanna know?"

"Yeah," she answered quickly, eyes sparkling with amusement. Her eyes were so pretty when they looked amused...

Branch shook himself and ran in place, cracking his neck, knuckles and back. "You ready for this?!"

"Mhm," she smiled, almost bashfully as she put her hands behind be back. "The pond is yours."

"Okay! Here we goooo!" He ran into the frozen pond, having no idea what was going happen but he had a feeling it wasn't going to end well. He couldn't stop sliding, and he realized he was headed right for Poppy who had became a deer in the headlights as he came blowing in. "MOVE!" he shouted, but she stayed still. He couldn't control what happened next. His body slammed into hers and she let out a scream of utter shock. They couldn't stop themselves for anything, but they finally came to a halt when they collapsed into the snow. It was quiet for a moment until Poppy's head popped out and she bursted out laughing. Branch's head was still buried in the snow and his legs only dangled, making Poppy and everyone else who was witnessing this laugh harder because it had looked like Branch's legs where her own. Branch popped out a few moments later.

"Why didn't you move?!" he asked, shaking his head free of snow as well as everything else.

"I don't know, I guess I just panicked! But that was fun, huh?" she giggled.

"Sure," he said, sounding bored and unamused as he shook more snow off himself, walking away.

Poppy gasped, jumping straight up, her jump so quick and forceful it had done the job of getting all of the snow off for her. "Seriously?! That's it? Where's your fun side?!" She hurried off after him she eventually caught up with him.

He stopped. "I guess it just...blew away," he said dramatically before he continued walking.

"How do you not think that was fun? You're a weirdo!"

Branch smiled softly in amusement at her comment but this was unknown to Poppy because she was already distracted and sat herself down in the snow making a snow angel. Branch thought it'd be a good time as any to leave while she was distracted. But of course, he was wrong because once a she realized he was leaving he felt a snowball hit him from behind the head. He whirled around, rising an eyebrow. She smiled sheepishly and innocently, than pointed her finger to a critter who was minding his own business and pinned the blame on him. It narrowed it's eyebrows at her before it crawled away.

Branch rolled his eyes, about to turn around but another snowball hit him, this time on the butt. "What was that for?!" he growled.

Poppy giggled nervously, faint blush on her face. "Sorry, I was aiming higher."

Branch would have smiled if it wasn't for his pride.

"Please stay. At least until sunset, you can help build the fire."

He sighed, then nodded. He did love that smell of burnt wood.

"Great! Now I'm gonna teach you how to ice skate- for realsies this time!" The two trolls made their way back to the pond, Branch a little more willing to participate this time around. He did want to learn to ice skate and wanted to get over the embarrassment of not knowing. Usually trolls learned when they were young, but he just never did.

He nervously approached the pond, and jumped when Poppy took his hand. They held hands so many times today that he lost count. It was _her_ that was always doing it, and it was _her_ that was always was so touchy touchy with him. Even after being a decade old the princess still didn't understand the lovey meaning of personal space.

He squeezed it tighter than he should have- tighter than he wanted to. "Alright, it's basically like walking. One foot after the other," she explained calmly with a small smile, and they were off. Branch completely freaked out, and that's how it was for the past quite a while, the only thing keeping him up was Poppy's hand. His legs were like jello.

Poppy realized this wasn't working, so she tried something else. "Branch! Relax!"

He whipped his head up, trying to calm himself.

"Relax. Easy," she said slowly up until his breaths slowed down and she looked straight into those blue, solemn eyes that held secrets she was dying to know. If only he would let her in. "Look at me. That's it, just follow my lead."

It suddenly became easy. They skated gracefully together across the ice. Poppy didn't to as her eyes off him for any reason, scared if she did he'd feak out again. She also really, really liked his eyes and felt as though she could stare at them forever. Something about them memorized her.

He looked into her eyes, too, and even at eleven years old he could not explain what he had felt, and whether he liked it or not but it was a weird feeling. When he looked into those eyes something inside of him seemed to naturally melt. His insides warmed dispute the cold weather. Her eyes were deep as pools, as if he were to dive in he'd never want to come up for air.

Branch 2: Where the heck did that come from?!

Branch 1: That, my friend, was inspiration.

* * *

 **Sorry if it's a little to gushing them being so young and starting to like each other but just couldn't stop my fingers from typing it because it's just do cute!**

 **What do you guys think about Branch's internal conflict? It's like a man vs man kinda thing! Let me know :)**

 **Anywho the next chapter will be Trollmas!**

 **Please review my Broppy children! :D**


	13. Merry Trollmas

Poppy hummed to herself as she dazzled the finishing touches on Branch's card. It was Trollmas Eve and time was beginning to run out to give him his invitation. She remained calm though, telling herself there was still plenty of time left for her to finish it and give it to him. She had been so busy making everyone else's invitations that she had forgotten about the one she needed to work hardest on. Not because it was better than everyone else's because every roll in the village had equal importance. The main reason she spent so much time on Branch's was because she didn't want the grey survivalist to feel left out, plus she knew that he was a tough shell to crack so maybe if she made an appealing invitation he wouldn't rip it up or crush it like he had in the past.

Part of her wondered why she kept making these cards if he was just going to end up destroying them. But that part of her was always reassured when she promised this could be the time where he'd accept it.

"I could really use a hand in here, fuzzball," Peppy said from the kitchen. He was currently making deviled eggs for tomorrow's Trollmas party, alongside making potato salad and a couple more side dishes.

Poppy looked up from where she had been lying on her belly, just staring at the card and wondering what else she could do to improve it. "With what?"

The king chuckled. "'With what?' she says. There's always work to be done, and we need enough food to feed the village."

"Everyone brings stuff," she said matter-of-factly, trying to get out of work because she was doing some work of her own. "There was that one year where great grammy Finna brought that weird egg salad that everyone hated, but they pretended to like because they didn't want to hurt her feelings, remember? I think she's losing it." She shook her head sadly, sprinkling some more white glitter on the invitation so it looked like snow.

"Don't be hard on grammy Finna-"

"I wasn't being hard, I was just saying-"

"-it'll be her eighty-fifth Trollmas. We must make this one the best one because we never know which one will be her last," Peppy continued, not acknowledging what she had said. "Remember that she was the Queen once."

"Like a thousand years ago," she murmured, hoping her father didn't hear that. She knew she shouldn't have said that because she knew if Peppy heard he was going to lecture her more, plus saying that was extremely rude even if it was only a slight exaggeration of the truth. Yeah, _slight_ …

Luckily Peppy hadn't said anything after that which meant one of two things: he heard it but just rolled his eyes and ignored it or he just didn't hear her and maybe she was off the hook for now as far as cooking went. She hoped that was the case.

Poppy knew Grammy Finny's time left was short, and she understood why her dad wanted to make this a great Trollmas for her but Grammy Finny's idea of a good Trollmas was staying in and sleeping only to wake up to realize she had slept the whole day. Plus she always showed up late to the Trollmas party, which was the complete opposite of her younger sister, Aunt Libby, who came super early and Poppy would have to "entertain" her which was something she really didn't mind doing and became quite fond of it. It got in extra time for her to sing and stroke her stuff.

But back to Grammy Finny. Finny was always in her pod and rarely came out anymore, which Poppy didn't blame her for because she was just so _old_ and moved so slow that it seemed like she had just made it back to her pod a year later. She could never find her pants so most of the time she showed up with only a shirt on. Then Peppy would have to get her to wear a pair of _his_ clothes. She'd refuse until he eventually convinced her otherwise and she'd emerge from the hallway with pants that sagged to where you could no longer see her feet. She'd pull them up every second before she'd find a leaf of some sort, wrap it around her waist and use it as a belt. One year when Poppy was about six or seven Finny disappeared for a long while. Everyone freaked out at first but sighed in relief when she had returned. They should have held their breaths because Finny had not just returned but she returned with a _snake_ around her waist. Thank heavens it wasn't poisonous because that wouldn't have ended well for her. Turns out it was just an innocent critter with bad luck is all.

Peppy cleared his throat rather loudly, causing Poppy to jump. "I wasn't kidding about needing help in the kitchen."

She finally ripped her gaze off the invitation for what felt like the first time today and sat herself up, then made her way to the kitchen, looking at him attentively. "What do you need help with?" she sighed.

"Peeling the potatoes," he said. "I have to finish cracking the boiled eggs."

She simply nodded, deciding the sooner she got this done the sooner she could get back to her card.

Like any chef, she washed her hands before even thinking about touching the potatoes. When she had done this successfully, she gabbed a potato, wet it, and starting peeling it over the trashcan. "Papa, how many do we need?" she asked.

"A lot. I'd say you could do about ten for me, I can handle the rest." He didn't face her but Poppy still found herself nodding. She wetted another potato once she finished the last one, then stared back at the invitation, longing to finish it.

"What is it with that invitation?" Peppy asked. "You worked harder on that than any other one."

"It's...It's for Branch," she explained.

"You hesitated."

"No I didn't!"

"Mmhmmm…."

Poppy frowned, peeling the potato a little slower now. "It's not what you think- I just want him to have a good Trollmas…" She tried to see her father's face but his eyes were focused on peeling the boiled eggs and she only said the right side of his face, and it looked neutral. It wasn't enough for her to tell what he was thinking.

He was quiet for a long while until he spoke up. "You've got a big heart, you know that?"

Poppy blushed slightly. "Big heart for a little troll," she smiled, washing her fifth potato and putting it on the plate.

"Listen, sweetheart, why don't you go outside and play?" Peppy asked, finishing up the eggs. "I can take care of the potatos."

"Are you sure?" she frowned.

"Yeah, you can give your invitation to Branch, too. If it's done."

Poppy nodded eagerly and ran over to her invitation. "Does it look good?" she asked, holding it up for him. The first thing the king noticed a out it was that it was colorful and vibrant, which made it look great. She had drawn a little picture of Branch in a Santa hat, standing on ice skates. She attached it to the paper so it looked like it popped out. White glitter was sprinkled in all directions so it looked like it was snowing and it even had sound to it.

" _Tis the season 'cause your invited fa la la la la la la la la!"_ sang the little Branch.

She closed it before the white glitter could come out because if she did it then she'd have to refill it and she would have to clean up her mess which would be a waste of time and glitter.

"I don't think it could get any better, honestly," he smiled, proud of his daughters hard work. He just hoped it'd pay off and Branch would come around. He hadn't been to a party since he turned grey, and he was beginning to worry that he would always be like that. He admired Poppy's faith in Branch that everyone was starting to lose. It had been three years and Poppy still wasn't giving up. She probably wouldn't stop at anything, she was going to risk it all just to make him happy.

* * *

Poppy took a deep breath as she and Creek walked to Branch's cozy hideout. "Are you sure you should do this Poppy?" he asked for what had to be the twentieth time. The funny thing was he didn't say _we_. The real question was should _we_ be doing this. Creek _was_ going with the princess to deliver the card.

She stopped. "He doesn't deserve to be left out, Creek. No one does." She was about to trudge on but she was stopped again.

"Did it ever occur to you that he _likes_ being alone? Think about it. If someone locks themselves in a secluded bunker don't you think they want to be left alone?" asked the twelve-year-old troll, rising an eyebrow.

She thought about this. Creek was wiser and older than her but to be fair they were both still children. "No one wants to be alone!" she smiled, booping his nose and going in front of him.

Creek did not speak for a while and it took him quite a while to move his stiff feet and get a move on. "Hey, wait up!"

Once he caught up with her they were at the entrance of the bunker.

He shuddered. "Seriously? A 'Go Away' mat?! And you say he doesn't want to be alone! This place gives me the creeps!"

"Don't be rude!" she gave him a small nudge with her eyebrows knitted. "You're the one that asked to come." Creek fell silent as Poppy knocked on the large boulder ecluentally.

A moment later the "Go Away" mat opened. Creek looked down at him curiously. "Hm, that's strange."

"What do _you_ want?" he asked the purple troll rudely.

He remained calm. "Someone has something for you, mate."

Branch knew this was coming. He opened up the mat completely and hopped out, taken slightly by surprise when he was that he was so close to Poppy that their noses were almost touching.

"Hi Branch!"

"Poppy?" he asked, unamused.

"Yeah?"

"Remember that talk we had about personal space?"

"Oh, right," she smiled bashfully, backing up slightly.

"Thank you."

"She has something for you," Creek said, nodding towards him, trying to move things along.

Branch looked at him with furrowed eyebrows for a moment before looking back at Poppy. "Get it over with. I was in the middle of drinking eggnog."

Poppy pulled the invitation from her hair. "I wanted to invite you to our Trollmas party!" She opened it up excitedly, revealing the drawing of the grey troll. It sang its song once again before it spattered out the white glitter. He looked uninterested and bored as it fell on his face. He then took it from her and smiled a little.

Poppy gasped and smiled widely. Was he actually taking this or was this a dream?! Something inside Poppy died when he threw the invitation on the ground and stomped on it. She let out a small whimper, then felt anger boil inside her. She worked so hard on this invitation and he just had to go and _ruin_ it! She did this for _him_ , and this is how he thanks her?!

She felt the tears swell in her eyes. She scowled. "YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE WILL YOU?" she yelled, causing the grey troll to jump slightly and Creek to gently pull her back because she was starting to get up in his face again. "I try to do something nice and you just...you just have to ruin it! Do you even know how much time and effort I put in that?!" She then hung her head down, blinking, trying to calm herself. Her anger was gone and now a new feeling entered her heart: failure. She was trying to hard to make him happy, and now it's as though she failed. "Why did I think this time would actually be different?" she asked softly, more to herself than anyone. With that, she walked away, head down and back arched, putting her hands in the pockets of her coat.

"Not cool, mate." He shook his head before walking away.

Branch watched them walk away until he could no longer see them. Creek had his hand on her back in comfort.

He dug through the snow vigorously, digging up the invitation. He wiped it clean of snow then went back inside and locked all the doors so it was just him and the invitation.

He frowned, disappointed in himself. Even though he didn't want to go, he knew it was wrong to act that way. He could have just said he wasn't going instead of making a big scene about it. Either way Poppy would be upset, but because of what he did back there he had the pink princess in _tears_.

He unraveled the crushed invitation. It wasn't perfect as it once was but it looked...nice. He opened it up, and it sang again.

" _Tis the season 'cause your invited fa la la la la la la la la!"_

He didn't want to, but he smiled.

Wider than he should have.

It went off again. " _Tis the season 'cause your invited fa la la la la la la la la!"_

He set it on the table, got some eggnog from the fridge, then sat back down. He just stared at it as the old song kept on replaying. He kept on telling himself to throw the stupid thing away but he just couldn't for some reason.

Branch 1: Awww, she spent so much time on it. And the glitter snow is just precious! Isn't it adorable, Branch 2?

Branch 2: Huh, oh, yeah. Sure.

Branch 1: That was sarcasm Im guessing?

Branch 2: Now _that's_ adorable. You know me so well! :)

Branch 1: Don't listen to that boso, you should keep it.

Branch 2: Why on earth should you keep it? Would it ever become useful? NO!

Branch 1: You don't know that, maybe it could poke an angry bergens eye out!

Branch 2: Idiot! It'd take a miracle to throw that thing all the way up into a bergens eye. They are huge, that's that's just _paper_!

Branch shook himself, going for the trashcan. Just as he was about to throw it away, a strange feeling came over him. It was either all of that eggnog he drank or it was Branch 1 winning again. He closed the trash and make his way over to the place where he kept everything important to him. Grandma Rosiepuff's glasses were in there, along with a few scrapbooks and some other things. He opened up the small curtains. There was plenty of room for an invitation.

He set it right on top of The Ugly Duckling.

* * *

Trollmas was finally coming to an end when Branch noticed the noise and wildness of the party had finally turned down. He hadn't seen height or hair of Poppy. She hadn't came by to wish him a merry Trollmas or caroled like she had.

He spoke too soon because he was just starting to fall asleep when he heard quiet knocking. He opened up the lever, a little more gentle this time. He saw Poppy looking down at him and frowning.

"Hey…" she started quietly, rubbing her arms. "I just thought I would stop by to say Merry Trollmas…" She didn't meet his gaze as she shuffled her boots in the snow. "I also got you a gift. If you want it, that is."

His eyes widened slightly. She got him something? She came back?

He opened up his mat and stood in front of her.

She pulled out a small box and handed it to him. He took it from her gently, her her brushing slightly against his as he did so.

He opened the box to see a mug, and turned it over to see that there was writing on it. "#1 Grump. Gee thanks," he said sarcastically.

Poppy just smiled, biting her lip. "I made it. Papa helped with the molding. I'm no expert in pottery but I think I did pretty well for my first time," she said, proud of her work. "I wanted to get you a gift that you would use all the time. You can use it to drink your eggnog!"

Branch was proud, too. He even half smiled. "I like it. Thank you."

She nodded, then looked up to see something she didn't expect: mistletoe. But then she remembered a few weeks back when her and some of the youngsters decided they were going to decorate Branch's boulder. He took off everything but he must've missed this one.

"What is it?" he asked, setting his mug down.

"It's mistletoe," she smiled.

"What is that?"

"You don't know what mistletoe is?"

"Nope. Should I?"

"It's a Trollmas decoration. It's a plant. See, the rule is whoever is under the mistletoe, you have to kiss them," she explained.

Branch looked up curiously at the green plant. He'd never seen anything so strange or heard a weirder rule than kissing under a plant. That was absurd!

A few feet from him stood Poppy, smiling with her hands behind her back. "You're not _actually_ gonna kiss me, right?" he asked, still not understanding the concept of this holiday tradition but Poppy bit her lip, her cheeks a darker tint of pink. He knew where this was going.

"Well...rules are rules…"

"O-Oh, uh, can I just-" he was cut off when her lips smashed onto his. His cheeks felt so hot he thought he might blow up. For a moment his eyes were huge with shock but he found himself closing them and clumsily kissing her back. He had no experience with this kind of thing so he had no idea how to react.

Her lips were soft and a once rough kiss became a little more tender. This didn't stop it from being any less awkward but just as Branch was starting to get the hang of this kissing thing, she pulled away.

She stared at him for a moment while his eyes were wide open, and he was completely _speechless_. "Branch, are you okay?" She waved her hand in his face. "Branch?" Then she simply shrugged. "Merry Trollmas!" she smiled, hugging him tightly then trotting away.

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update! Hope you guys had a great Christmas (or Trollmas of you prefer :D)**


	14. New Year, Same Me

**Guys, it's not that end! Silly gooses. Haha, we still got a lot of ground to cover. Branch and Poppy are still young and it won't end until they're around twenty which is where the movie leaves off. (They will be thirteen and fourteen in the next chapter btw). I still have a lot of ideas and notes in my docs so we got a lot to go before the story is over. By estimate, I'd say it's gonna be around 30-35 chapters sooooo...yeah!**

 **This this not at all related, but I have a stupid question: which one is Satin and which one is Chenille?! This has been bothering me for the longest time! I want to say that Satin is the pink twin and Chenille is the blue one?! Right?! Probably not…**

 **Please do me a favor and answer this question because I can't call myself a true fan if I don't know the difference. I will love you forever. And if they are conjoined twins, what would happen if you were to cut the hair that connects them? 0.0**

 **I think I'm overthinking this…**

 **Merppp**

 **Anywho, here's the chapter! I don't, nor have I ever own Trolls :) IF I OWNED IT I WOULD MAKE THEM KISS I PROMISE YOU, AND I WOULD MAKE THEM HAVE A KID IN THE END! OR MAKE A SEQUEL IN WHICH CONSISTS OF BRANCH SCREAMING "THE BABY IS COMING, AHHHHHH!" (Get it?! Instead of "the bergens are coming"?!)**

 **I'm sorry here's the freaking chapter XD**

* * *

Now that Trollmas was over, another holiday was around the corner: New Years! Poppy couldn't think of anything she wanted to improve on other than being even _more_ happy and hug as many people as possible. She had wrote down lots of things once she out her thinking cap on and thought of more things came to mind about what she could change about herself.

As she studied herself in the mirror she wondered what she could do about her appearance. She wore a headband with a bow on the side, as always. Her hair was usually down, which meant it got tangled very easily. _My hair! I can change that!_ She excitedly grabbed her glittery notebook that she had gotten for Trollmas and jotted that down, then quickly wrote down one last (and the most important) resolution. Now that her own resolutions were done, she thought she would get a jump start on helping other trolls. She closed the notebook and trotted into the kitchen to show her father.

He had been chatting with their neighbor Russell- a red troll with orange hair and blue eyes- when Poppy emerged from her room. "Hi there Russell!" beamed the princess.

"Afternoon, Princess Poppy," smiled Russell with a dip of his head, showing respect. Being the social butterfly she was, Poppy started friendly conversation immediately.

"Do you have New Year Resolutions? If not, I'd be willing to make some for you." She opened her glittery notebook to a new page without giving the red troll to answer. "You could shovel your yard, it's a bit hard to see your pod. Or you can have Hue to do it, he doesn't do much anyways-"

"Poppy, seriously?" the king murmured to his daughter, giving her a look of disapproval while he shot Russell an apologetic look.

"That's alright Peppy," said the red troll. "My son is a teenager- you know how they are."

They laughed together while Poppy just laughed awkwardly, then a little more loudly, banging her hands on the table and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye to prove how "hysterical" she was (which might have gone to far because they stopped laughing and were now looking at her questionably). The way she saw it was kind of an apology because she felt bad for putting Hue down like that. "Phew! Teens, right?!" she let out a few more forced chortled before she cleared her throat, darted her eyes away from them, and put put her hands in her lap.

Peppy ripped his gaze away from Poppy and looked back at Russell. There was a small tap on the door along with a flash of orange hair, she knew it was her cue. "Dad, can I go outside and play?" she asked politely and happily, the awkwardness fading away.

Peppy nodded.

"Yay!" she got her coat and ran outside. A moment later she came back in, hand on the doorknob. "By Mr. Russell!" she called before rushing back outside.

"She's cute, huh?" asked Peppy. He couldn't help but feel a glow of pride whenever he saw his daughter. She was going to be a great Queen one day, when she was ready. As the days came and went he saw more and more of her mother in her. She was just like her, and he was happy about that. Although Sky spent a big majority of her life grey and depressed, when she had gotten her colors back she became a big burst of energy. Even when she was grey she always wanted to go an an adventure beyond the Troll Tree.

Russell nodded. "She'll make a fine queen one day," he mused. "I remember when she was born. So cute and little, still is. She has her mother's ambition."

"Mhmm." He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I just hope she always stays this happy…" His eyes opened again and it looked at the glitter notebook. "Say, what do you think her resolutions are?"

"Only one way to know, I'm sure she won't care. It looks like she was coming in to show you anyways."

That's probably true. She tells me basically everything. He picked up the notebook and there her resolutions were on the first page.

 _1\. When in doubt, sing it out (aka sing more)_

 _2\. Hug even more trolls_

 _3\. Help those in need_

 _4\. Be nice to the other students at school_

 _5\. Do something different with my hair_

 _6\. I will not give up on Branch...I will not give up on Branch….I will not give up on Branch. I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON BRANCH!_

Peppy's eyes lingered on that one specifically, running his fingers through the words as he let out a long sigh. His daughter showed no signs of giving up on the grey survivalist. He was proud of her for that, but he knew she shouldn't set her expectations too high. Peppy wished there was something he could do to help the poor boy, but clearly Poppy had it under control. Branch was alone all the time, did he really want that? Didn't he want a home? The lonely bunker was no home for a young troll, and the longer he lived in that environment the worse he would become.

Peppy jumped when a voice cut through his thoughts. "What is it?" Russell asked, sitting up slightly.

"Huh? Nothing."

Russell raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You looked really deep in thought back there."

The king shrugged. "I'm always deep in thought." A moment later Poppy burst through the door once again and ran up to him.

"Looking at my resolutions?" she bit her lip. "You like 'em? I think they're great. I'm gonna do whatever I can to accomplish them by the end of the year! she rambled.

"They're great, sweetie," he said, giving her a soft smile and ran a hand through her hair.

"Thanks!" she beamed, took the notebook, and was off again.

* * *

Poppy excitedly made her way to Branch's bunker, hugging her notebook close to her chest as if she was hugging a troll during hug time, excited to hear his resolutions. She already helped The Snack Pack with theirs and a couple of her neighbors. It had been a success.

A smile formed across her lips when she saw that Branch was out of his bunker for once, fiddling with a little button on branch of a tall tree. She hadn't seen the survivalist since she kissed him last week, so she was glad to see him.

"Hey, Branch!" she called loudly, causing him to let out a grunt of surprise and fall off the tree. "Don't worry! I've got you!" she said, holding out her arms to catch him but it turned out that she was a smidge off because she slowly turned her head in confusion to see that the grey trolls screams were coming from _behind_ her. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth together when she heard the thud of Branch falling face first into the snow, arms and legs sprawled out in all directions.

His voice was muffled but it sounded like a nervous "I'm okay".

She opened her right eye, then her left one to see his whole body was planted in the snow. "Branch!" she gasped, taking action instantly, she helped him up and wiped the snow off his vest and shorts, then his hair. Once he faced her she realized his cheeks were stuffed with snow that must've landed in his mouth when he feel. She held in a chuckle. He looked like a squirrel who selfishly hid all the nuts by stuffing them in his cheeks. He shooed her fingers away and did it himself; he wasn't fond of others touching his hair. The snow eventually melted in his mouth and he swallowed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Heh, sorry," she said sheepishly. "I...I thought I could catch you but I guess I don't have that great of a sense of direction. I've always been like that and I don't think it's very good if I like…okay." She realized he was beginning to walk away but she caught up with him. "Where ya going?"

"Home," he said simply.

"What's so wrong with being out here? Fresh air, the wind rushing through your hair as you go on a new adventure…" she put her hand on his shoulder and gazed off.

He tilted his head. "Uh, what are we looking at?"

"I don't know," she said in the same tone she had, her face blank.

She was a strange one. He knew that much. So strange that he couldn't get his mind off her since that kiss… It was like a firework was shooting out of his chest or he was jumping headfirst into a waterfall. He didn't want those fireworks to stop. It was a good feeling, he realized, a _warm_ feeling. What was that feeling? He couldn't identify. All he knew is that he liked it, but refused to show any emotion towards her, and he hated himself for doing it. He didn't want to hurt her, so he was going to push her away.

"ANYWAYS!" Her voice made him jump. "Do you have any resolutions?!"

She was so _loud_.

And with ears like his it was hard not to hear her from a mile away. Sometimes he wondered if it was just his ears and not Poppy. Maybe she was talking normally and it was just because his ears were so sensitive…

Branch 2: Nope. Definitely Poppy.

Branch 1: *sigh* Yeah, blame Poppy for everything...

He rubbed his ears that were now ringing slightly and he answered. "Nope."

"None?" she asked, crestfallen.

"None."

"Well aren't YOU in for a surprise, friend!"

"We are not friends."

There was a small pause until Poppy continued. "I have a list here of things you can improve on, lemme see." She pulled paper out that unraveled a list that went on for quite a long while.

Should he be offended,

Branch 2: YES

Branch 1: She's just trying to help, geez!

Branch growled, shutting up the annoying voices in his head and turned his attention back over to Poppy who just finished rolling it back up. "Okay, so these are your resolutions." She held them up, but he didn't accept it. "Now, every time you accomplish something, tell me, and I'll put a little check mark on it!" When she didn't take it, she fluttered her eyes and stared at him with those butterfly eyelashes and scrunched up her face real cute like. "C'mon Branch, what do ya say?"

He sighed before snatching the list from her and putting it in his hair. "Whatever. But don't expect me to change. I'm the same every year."

"Alright," she sighed, then gave him a soft smile. "Grump."

"Hey," he said defensively, but somewhat amused.

She giggled. "What? You are."

"Yes. And I _like_ it that way."

It was quiet until she moved a few inches closer to him, making him blush slightly. "Can you promise me you'll at least change one thing this year?" she asked, bringing out the puppy-dog-eyes.

"Fine," he sighed, " _one_ thing. That's _it_."

"Pinky promise?"

He rolled his eyes, connecting his pinky to his. "Ah yes, my pinky promises," he said sarcastically, being the first to disconnect their pinkies. **(1)**

"Good! Welp, I should get back! Bye Branchie!"

His cheeks glowed a little at what she had just called him. She hugged him before she left. He didn't return it because he was too busy thinking about her calling him _Branchie_. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. It was probably just a one time thing and she let her tongue just slip.

She gave him one last glance before she headed back. Well, it was longer than a glance because a patch of snow had fallen off a branch and right on top of her. "I'm okay!" she said, smiling nervously at him before bumping into the tree _itself_. She laughed it off. "Heh, I didn't see the tree, I guess. You know maybe I should get my eyes checked-"

" _Goodbye_ Poppy," he grumbled, waiting for her to leave before he let himself smile and shake his head in amusement.

* * *

 **That's the wrap! The days of their youth is over, and they will be teenagers in the next chapter (uh oh!)**

 **Says the teenager that's writing this...0.o**

 **Yeahhhhh I'm fourteen btw and I'm probably the most mellow teenager you'll meet honestly lmao XD**

 **1) That was a Despicable Me reference to anyone who noticed lol. I'm so excited for the third one, it's gonna be great I can tell! :D**

 **Please review, I love you Broppy children 😘**

 **(I changed my user, as you can see so I decided I'm Branch and Poppy's daughter and they are my parents. Don't tell them yet tho)**

 **I'm crazy XD**

 **Thank you for putting up with me, I truly do love you guys!**


	15. Puberty

**Hey guys! Sorry about the late update, I couldn't get any inspiration :( Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Another three years came and went, and our pink happy princess and our grumpy grey survivalist have grown up. Well, not completely. They still had quite a long way to go until they would be fully grown into responsible adults. Right now they were going through what every teen has to go through in order to become an adult: puberty.

It seemed like overnight Branch had gotten pre-mature wrinkles. They were probably from stress, sweat, and working so hard. His head was too big for his body and his voice seemed to become a bit hoarse. He couldn't figure it, every time he spoke his voice ended in a terrible cracking noise. He was almost too embarrassed to speak. The only good thing about his body changing was that he was starting to grow muscles that must've built up from all the work he had done on build his bunker. He was strong and broad which was useful when it came to lifting up things such as big rocks and sticks. Every once and awhile he'd find himself looking at one of Poppy's invitations that he had crushed, stomped, or tore. Longer than he should have, and he would smile widely. Sometimes, hours would go by and he'd still be looking at it, just grinning ear to ear like crazy until he realized how late it was. His shelf of invitations was starting to get a little crowded, so he was in the making of building a _second_ shelf to put the invitations, knowing there was going to be a lot more she'd invite him to and a lot more he would crush and tape back. He knew the invitations wouldn't stop, and he could no longer accept them because he made this his image. If he accepted one, everyone would look at him like he was crazy. Poppy would probably hug him. As much as he craved that, he just couldn't. It was also fear, too. Branch 2 had been making a lot of points such as he couldn't dance, promised himself he wouldn't sing, and that parties are loud and would lead the Bergens right to the village

As for Poppy, she spent most of the time in her room wondering who she was. She styled her hair many different ways, making notes of which ones were the best and which ones she'd never use again. A trolls hair was important. When she looked in the mirror in the morning she'd find about a hundred more pimples on her face, which she was not happy about. She also found herself asking wandering near Branch's boulder more than often. When she used to do it she was usually invited him to a party or have him do something she knew he didn't want to do. But now she just stopped by there for no reason than to see how he was because she was worried for him. She just wanted to _see_ him. He didn't always want to see her, but sometimes, depending on his mood, he'd even let her in her bunker. At first she was very excited to see the gray troll's bunker because she was the only troll he'd ever let in (as far she knew). But that excitement seemed to simmer away when she saw him actually give her a genuine smile as he explained how many supplies he had collected over the years and such. Her excitement no longer about getting to see the bunker, it was the smile had gave her. She knew there was still a lot of work she needed to do with Branch but this was a start. She always was looking for new ways to make him happy, and when she did it always made them the complete opposite. Now that she saw that a genuine smile was possible, she was more determined than ever to see it again. This determination turned into admiration. Admiration that her heart was not used to. It was used to increasing when it saw Branch, because it used to see him as any other troll. But something shifted when she was finally invited into his bunker and she saw a different side of him. It was only a moment until he snapped out of it, but it was enough for Poppy.

When Branch woke up from his slumber he was painfully reminded of what today was. To other trolls it may have just been a happy, ordinary Tuesday morning, but to Branch it only brought him sorrow.

Seven years ago today Grandma Rosiepuff had been gone.

Seven years since he stopped singing.

Seven years since he discovered his bunker and went on that long and agonizing journey through the cave with that pink pain in the butt on his shoulders.

He'd learned a lot in those seven years, but he hadn't learned to forget. He couldn't forget. He couldn't forget the horror, he couldn't forgot the last time he saw her, he couldn't forget how it felt when his beautiful blue glow turned dark and miserable. He couldn't forget the _memory_. That's what it was now, Rosiepuff was a memory. She no longer existed. He tried to remember her in his heart but all that brought was pain. Despite the pain, he remembered it. When be remembered her he tried hard not to think of the bad, she wouldn't want him to thank that way. She'd want him to be out there celebrating her life, not mourning it. He considered this but didn't move.

When he got to courage to stand up on his own two feet, he slipped on his shorts and vest, deciding to at least get dressed today and get something on his stomach. As he made his way to the kitchen he still wasn't completely awake. He yawned, rubbing his eyes and opening the fridge.

He took out the jam, deciding he'd make some toast for breakfast. It came to a surprise that he was actually eating it with butter and jelly and not just plain.

There he ate in silence. It wasn't so bad, it was better than being outside where a bergen could scoop him up. But then again he wondered why a bergen would even want to eat him, for he was grey and would only make the huge monsters even _more_ miserable than they already were.

Once he finished his breakfast he made his way to the trash. But he made the mistake of not watching where he accidently stepped right onto one of Poppy's invitation that screamed "BRANCH!", which sent him up about a mile high and when he descended he fell right on top of the others that he was planning to put on his second shelf. They all went off at different times, popping out and screaming his name. "Shush, shush!" he exclaimed. With every one he tried to shut popped back up again. "Shut _up_!" He shoved them in the upper shelf because he had nowhere _else_ to put them.

That completely backfired when he was about to walk away but it felt as if an avalanche of invitations crashed over him. He made a run for it but they were coming and they were coming _quick,_ and he was surrounded in nothing but cards. "BRANCH, YOU'RE INVITED" "CELEBRATE SUKI'S NEW BEATS!" "SEE YA AT SMIDGE'S PARTY BRANCHIE!"

He plugged his ears and clenched his teeth tightly. Yep, it was her, not his ears. She was naturally loud, and it drove him wild. He was close to smashing all of them until he eventually got them to be quiet when he shoved them back on the shelf and closed the curtain. Then he thought he might as well start working on the new shelf. He'd already superglued the edges of the wood together and sewed a new set of curtains so now he just needed to attach the curtains on and hang it up which wouldn't be too hard.

Once he finished that, he pulled out the invitations that he stuffed in there and gently put them on the second shelf so they were all evened out. Proud of his work, he went back to lay down.

* * *

Poppy woke up with a smile on her face as always. Although she was going through puberty and woke up to a new pimple almost everyday, she still remained the happy princess she was.

Her hair was a mess as usual , and after taking about twenty minutes to get all the knots out, she brushed her teeth and ran outside to realize she was the only one out there. That's was the problem with being the early bird she was. It was a little chilly, too.

She had grown used to coming out to an empty village in the morning, but she hated being by herself. So she decided she'd let her feet carry her wherever as she hummed her favorite song.

As she skipped along she found that she was headed right towards Branch's bunker when she saw the huge boulder in front. "Here? Again?" she asked her feet flatly. Who she really should've asked was her heart. Her feet just obeyed the heart. As for the brain, it was trying with all its might to harness the heart and keep it under control, but there was no point now. Once the heart saw that smile of Branch's, it was way ahead of the brain and would destroy anything that got in its way of seeing that smile again.

And as they always say: the heart wants what it wants.

Poppy hesitated as she knocked on the grumpy troll's boulder. It was a little early and maybe he was still sleeping.

But she wondered why she was doubted that he was asleep because he always seemed to wake up when she woke up, and the slot of his "Go Away" mat opened. To her surprise, the slot opened slowly and calmly. _Maybe he was in a better mood today_ , she hoped. Then other possibilities ran through her mind. _Oh no, what if I woke up?_

She braced herself for him to scowled her for waking him but when she faced him she saw their was something else than anger that filled his eyes. He almost looked...sad? "Hi," she said, softly.

Her voice was calm as he let out a quiet "hey" and closed his eyes for a long while. He saw no point in being a grump to her today being what today was. He didn't have the energy nor strength to look at the pink troll and say something insulting. If someone were to do that to him on the way he was feeling today it'd make him feel worse. Although Poppy was used to him being the way he was, he didn't think about how she would react to him like this. Sad rather than grumpy.

She reacted like any troll would when they saw someone sad. She got down on her knees. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked soothingly.

"Fine," he answered.

Poppy lied down on the grassed, stretching out her arms and legs and resting her chin on her hands as as looked down at the pair of sad blue eyes. "Why don't you come on out? Being in there is no fun."

"It's plenty of fun," he said flatly.

The princess smirked. "For _whatever_ reason, I don't believe you."

"Poppy," he sighed, "I just wanna be alone right now…"

"Great, I'll be alone with you! What do ya say Branchie, can I come in?"

There that nickname was again. It was a little cold. The wind stung his eyes as it blew not too harsh but also not too soft. "As long as you don't call me that nickname," he said.

"Oh, you know you love it!"

He had to admit the nickname was cute and he couldn't help but go a bit red when he heard it, but the other part of it found it annoying and cheesy. "Don't make me change my mind, Pinkie."

The princess laughed. "Oh, but _you_ get to call me a nickname?"

Branch ignored her comment and opened up his mat. Poppy smiled and hopped in. As they made their way down the elevator Branch was quiet. He didn't go on about how many supplies he collected like he had last time, which was weird because she reckoned that he must've gotten a lot more since the last time she was here. It had been a couple months since her first visit. Even now the bunker still amazed her as she looked around.

Right now he looked like he wanted to bury a hole in the soft earth and never returned. It hurt to see him like this. She was about to question it but decided not to because she didn't want to upset him in any way. So she just took his hand in hers and held onto it tightly.

Branch jumped at this but he didn't let go until they came to a stop. He let go of her hand and took ahold of a lantern that was waiting for him. He made his way deeper into the bunker with Poppy following swiftly behind. She tried her hardest to keep up but he was walking so _fast._

"You know, you should really make this place more homey. Maybe...a big colorful throw rug instead of the 'Go Away' mat. Oh! You could paint a mural on your boulder. As for the inside-"

"Ugh, what are you _babbling_ about?" asked Branch, rubbing his temples, wondering why he let her in. No, why he answered the knock on the door in the _first_ place. All he wanted to do right now was be by himself and grieve.

Poppy decided it was best just to shut her mouth because everything she said in Branch's eyes seemed to be annoying, wrong, or "too positive".

Branch entered the kitchen, pulling out a seat and sitting down, cuffing his hands in his chin. Poppy sat down across him him, copying his actions. He looked somewhat offended but simply brushed it and changed his position by the slightest bit by putting his fist in a ball. When Poppy copied this he sighed, but couldn't help but smile a little.

Then her hug time bracelet went off. Her head cocked up as she excitedly looked at him. A hug didn't sound bad. He was in deep need of one, so he nodded awkwardly, giving her permission.

She sprung on her feet like a needle had poked her butt and threw her arms around his neck.

* * *

 **Despite it being short and a little boring, I'm proud of it! Happy New Years guys, I hope you had a great one!**

 **Shout out to ttobba95 for helping me with this chapter, and a few of their ideas came to play in this and more of them will in future chapters too! Also shout out to y'all who helped me clear up my misunderstanding about Satin and Chenille (although it wasn't really a misunderstanding considering I was right XD)**

 **Anyway there's the chapter Broppy Children, please tell me your thoughts!**


	16. Demons

**OMGOMGOMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 100 REVIEWS! THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, I'M GLAD YOU ARE ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR!**

 **It's gonna be short and sad just so you know.**

* * *

"Poppy," gasped Branch.

"Hm?" asked the pink troll, her embrace tight.

"I can't breathe."

"Oh!" she blushed. "I-I'm sorry, erm, I guess I just get a little carried away…"

Branch could definitely see THAT. In his opinion _everyone_ got a little carried away and overexcited about hugtime, which was why when he did come out of his bunker he'd make sure it was about five minutes after the new hour started so the coast would be clear and no one tried to hug him. That would always backfire because some new face would come up and hug him. He wouldn't hug back, and depending on his mood sometimes he wouldn't even say anything. If that happened the stranger would pull away and continue on with their day. If he was in a grumpy mood he'd push them off him and stomp away.

"Yeah," he mumbled and Poppy took a few steps back, knowing he liked his personal space. He still looked a little sad. Unsure what she could do to help, she sat back down while Branch rested his eyes some more.

"Is this what you do all day?" she broke the ice, sending Branch's eyes open.

He looked at her for a moment but didn't answer. Although he had many supplies down here it didn't make the bunker safe, fun, or pleasant. Well, not safe for a any troll that might sprained their ankle on a mousetrap because they weren't watching where they were going. The only safe thing was that no Bergen could find him there. In other words it wasn't the type of environment he thought Poppy would want to be in. She lived in a cozy pod, where she had many activities and things she did through the day.

Why would she want in here? The answer to that question was unknown to him and obvious to her. He didn't ask it, although he wanted to. And she wanted to answer even because she knew he was tempted to ask. The answer was simple: she was there because she wanted to see him.

Branch looked away from the princess who never got _her_ question answered. So she asked another one. "So…what...exactly is...there to do here?"

The answer was simple, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He did not answer that question, and although he had an answer he wasn't going to share what he did because for one she'd probably laugh in his face, but he always kept it in the back of his mind that she might like it. After all, it was something she suggested his hobby should be when she was only ten.

"Nothing," he lied. There was plenty to do. He spent most of his time writing poetry or just writing in general. He was either think about Poppy, thinking about writing, or thinking about writing about Poppy and ending up writing about her. She was his inspiration. He tried to find something else to write about, but he couldn't. There was nothing else he felt the need to write about. When he first started it was at a young age, back when he had his colors, he'd write about flowers and hugging. When he started it back up again he was eleven, and all what he wrote about was depressing. Up to when he received Poppy's Trollmas Invitation, that is. That's when he really started thinking about her, and when inspiration came it didn't stop.

"Is there something you _could_ do?" asked Poppy.

"Like what?"

"Oh! I know! We could-"

"We _aren't_ singing."

"Poo, how did you know I was gonna say that?"

"Because I know _everything_ ," he said sarcastically.

Branch 1: Watch yourself…

Branch 2: What? She's annoying!

Branch 1: She knows you're sad, she just wants to make you feel better!

Branch 2: But why? She doesn't _care_!

Branch 1: You don't know that.

He shushed the voices in his head ad looked at Poppy, who was quiet for a moment but spoke up. "We could...ummm…"

He waited impatiently for her to come up with something, letting the anger boil in his blood but he didn't let release any steam.

"We could make cupcakes!"

Her excitement was enough to simmer away the anger, but that didn't make he himself excited. "Yaaaaayyyyy," he said sarcastically, putting his hands in the air.

"Love that enthusiasm! Now, do you cupcake batter?"

"Why would I have cupcake batter?" he asked, more harsh than he meant to. "Why don't you go make cupcakes by yourself?"

"And why would I want to do that? Making cupcakes alone is...is lonely."

Lonely. Something he felt everyday. But he couldn't pity her without feeling sorry for himself. So he didn't pity her. She had plenty of friends to make cupcakes with. He was in no mood to do anything, really. "I think you should leave."

"What?" she asked, sounding slightly hurt. "But I..I just got here!"

"You want to make cupcakes so do that on your own, leave me alone." His voice rose.

"But Branch, I thought…"

"Poppy, I'm not in the mood for cupcakes.."

The princess's eyebrows furrowed. "You're never in the mood for anything! You are always so grouchy and grey and never want to do _anything_ fun!"

"Be quiet!"

"No! I wouldn't be quiet! Why are you the way you are? Why do you push everyone away? What made you turn grey?!"

"I can't answer that!"

"THEN WHAT CAN YOU ANSWER? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM-"

"ENOUGH!"

They were now face to face with each other, their noses so close to touching. The anger in his voice hurt Poppy's ears and made her back up slowly. She stepped up on the mat. "Branch, I'm sorr…" she took a breath. "I'm sorry."

The grey troll didn't say anything. His arms were folded and he was staring at her insincerely. "I didn't mean to upset you," she continued. "I just...wanna know why. You seem more sad than mad today, I just wish there was something I could do…"

 _Well, there's nothing,_ he thought.

"Tell me what it is, and I'll do it." She stared at him, waiting patiently for him to answer but he remained silent. "I..I'll see you later," she sighed, pulling the lever that sent her up.

Branch just stood there, regretting his harsh words. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn't get that way, at least not today. He didn't want to be that way, but it happened. He let his demons show. He let them show to the troll he never wanted to hurt. But he hurt her _constantly_. The worst thing was, she would come back. With each failed attempt, she would pinpoint exactly where she went wrong and work from there. The thing she didn't realize was that what went wrong was when she pushed him. She couldn't push someone like Branch. He was a tough case, and a lot of work, but not impossible.

As Branch stood alone in his bunker his mind raced as he tried to tame the demons. They just got louder, and they rang in his ears, torturing him. He wanted to scream but couldn't find his voice. He wanted to cry but the demons held back the flood. He wanted to run away but he couldn't find the path.

He didn't know how long he could take it, the loneliness. The fear of falling apart. With each breath it felt hard to breathe, as if the oxygen in the air was toxic.

Calm down.

Clam _down._

 _Calm down!_ he kept on telling himself. This feeling of dread clung onto him, and there was no escaping it.

He made his way to his room, his ears still ringing. He got out a pencil and paper and scribbled down his newest masterpiece.

 _When you feel my heat  
Look into my eyes  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide  
Don't get too close  
It's dark inside  
It's where my demons hide  
It's where my demons hide_

Over time, he became more content and the pencil slowed down. He didn't fight it, he let the words flow until the first poem he wrote years that wasn't about Poppy was finished.


	17. The Voice That Chased Away His Demons

When Poppy got home she opened the door to see Peppy and Granny Finny talking in the kitchen. Finny was sipping on coffee as Peppy was preparing little sandwiches. "I think someone is at the door," said the old troll.

"It's just me Grammy," Poppy said, not even trying to hide her melancholy. She felt terrible for the things she said to Branch. She pushed him too far. If only he would tell her why he was so sad, why he lost his colors. If he did that perhaps she could help him. But the stubborn troll just _wouldn't_. Just like he _wouldn't_ sing or dance or hug. It was something that _could_ do, but _decided_ not to.

 _Did he have a terrible voice?_ She wondered. _Did he have two left feet? Is he claustrophobic?_

"Is everything okay Poppy?" Peppy asked.

"Everything is fine," she sighed.

Finny studied her up and down for a moment until she shrugged. "Well okay." She leaned back in her chair.

Peppy knitted her eyebrows at his grandmother who wasn't the least bit suspicious about Poppy's behavior. "Are you sure?"

Poppy nodded. "I'm going to my room," she said, taking a step forward but her father cut her off. "Hey, don't you want some lunch? I made sandwiches," he offered.

"I...I'm not hungry." It wasn't entirely a lie although she hadn't eaten all day. But just because she hadn't eaten didn't mean she was hungry. She lost her appetite, more like. She went to her room without anyone stopping her this time, shutting the door and sitting on her bed, her hands cuffed in her cheek as she thought of what to do to help Branch.

Why was she so determined for one troll's happiness? She didn't know that answer, and she wouldn't know that answer for a long while down the road. For now she didn't know what she was feeling. It was a strange feeling, like the feeling she got when she actually saw Branch smile. It was that warm feeling, but now she felt as though someone was shaking at her heart. It was painful.

She fell back in her bed, her head hitting the pillow gracefully and she stared at the ceiling where the glowing star stickers hung. It wasn't like her to feel so terrible. Was this how Branch felt all the time? Maybe so. If he felt this way all the time no _wonder_ he was grumpy. Because this was a horrible feeling.

She turned her head to her right, where the scrapbook she had been making sat. She turned to the other side, in no mood to scrapbook. On the other side was her dresser where she kept all of her scrapbooking materials. The first two drawers was only that and some other random things. The third, however, was still in progress. In that third drawer was something she wished she could let go, something she wished she still didn't have. It was full of sketches on her and Branch. A lot of them was from when she was really little, from when he was bright blue. How she missed that bright blue color.

Poppy hesitated before opening up the dresser. She looked through the drawings, some old and some recent. And all the way at the bottom was her hug time bracelet. Even after six years she kept it. He had left it behind that night and she never got around to bringing it back. Part of her knew he wouldn't accept it, and when it went off every hour it was a constant reminder that he was in his lonely bunker without a friend in the world. It was a reminder of the troll he once was, and if he would just put his bracelet back on maybe, just maybe, he would be the troll she knew he could be. Maybe it'd release some of the stress and anger.

He wouldn't accept it, and she knew that. So that wasn't even an option to consider.

Her thought were interrupted when someone knocked at the door. She quickly put the drawings back in the drawer and stashed the hug time bracelet in her hair, which wasn't the best idea. "Come in."

"Hello," sang Biggie.

"Hello," Cooper joined.

"Helloooo!" Guy Diamond finished.

"Hello!" the all said at the same time, approaching Poppy.

"Hi guys," she said, giving them a small fake smile.

They took no notice that behind her smile was a sad troll because they smiled at her. "What's up?" Cooper asked.

Before Poppy could even answer her hug time bracelet went off.

"Hug time!" they all exclaimed except Poppy. They wrapped her into a big hug. Being the troll she was, she didn't push them away like she wanted to. She was really in no mood for hugs right now. In all honesty she just wanted to be left alone.

"Um, Poppy?" Biggie asked, pulling away.

"What?" she asked.

"Your hair is...glowing," Guy Diamond said

"Thanks?" Just as the words slipped out of her mouth, she then remembered she had put Branch's hug time bracelet in her hair! "Oh. That's, um, my hair extensions!" She laughed nervously, running a finger through her hair. "You like 'em?"

"Blue doesn't seem to be your color, but they look alright," Cooper said.

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"Why are you getting so defensive?" Guy Diamond asked.

"I just thought I would try something new! Geez!"

"Are you hiding something from us?" Biggie asked, taking a step closer.

"How did you get your hair to glow like that?" Copper asked.

"I...used a special shampoo!" The hug time bracelet deactivated. "It doesn't last long," she continued to bluff. "Only about five minutes after I shower."

They eyed her carefully before shrugging. "Your hair doesn't look any longer to me," Guy Diamond muttered. "Anyhow, we know something is up and you can't hide it forever. When you're ready to talk, we will be here."

So they _did_ know, they were just waiting for the right moment to say it. "And how do you know I'm upset?"

"So you admit it?" Biggie said.

"No."

"Hm. Well, your dad told us you could use some cheering up."

Poppy sighed. "Oh, right." She knew she shouldn't be mad, he was only a worried father just trying to look out for her daughter. As a parent it is their job to be concerned for their child's well-being and what not. Poppy appreciated it but she didn't want others worrying over her. If anyone should be worried at all, they should be worried for Branch, not her. He was the one that was alone constantly. If only they could see the softer side of him.

"Please tell us what's wrong! Mr. Dinkles really wants to know! Right Mr. Dinkles?"

"Mew."

Despite the way she was feeling Poppy smiled a little and took the pet warm as if she thought it would comfort her. As weird as it was, it did. They were cute and cuddly creatures who never cause any trouble. They were soft and fuzzy too so when she held Mr. Dinkles she felt a little better.

She sat down on her bed, the warm still in her hands as her friends sat next to her, Biggie on her right and Guy diamond on the left while Cooper still ahead of her and sat down on the floor, cocking his head curiously.

The pressure was on again when all eyes were on her. She took a breath, deciding it'd be best to come right out and say it rather than leave them in suspense. "I...I'm worried about Branch."

It was quiet for a moment until Cooper spoke up. "Oh."

 _Oh? That's it?_

"You're always worried for him Poppy…" Guy Diamond murmured, not looking at her straight in the eye but rubbing his neck instead and looking down at the floor.

"Yeah," Biggie agreed. "Don't you think this has been going on for far too long? Maybe he doesn't want to change."

Poppy knew right away that her friends were wrong, because she was sure of it that the grey troll wanted to change. Her olnly guess was he didn't know how. "I've told you once and I'll tell you a million more times: I've seen his softer side, his side that he doesn't show anyone else. And...and it's beautiful!"

"Sounds to me like someone has a crush," Cooper smiled.

"Hey! I don't!" she exclaimed loudly, getting up at her feet.

"We didn't mean to upset you. Maybe we should go…" Biggie said, awkwardly getting off the bed, taking Mr. Dinkles from Poppy and beginning to exit the room.

Poppy didn't protest them leaving, nor did she say anything in that matter as her three friends got up and left her room, closing the door on the way out as she folded her arms. She did not like Branch! Not in _that_ way, anyway. She just wanted to be his friend. _Yeah, his friend. Nothing wrong with that._

She had just put Branch's old hug time bracelet back in its original place when she found herself rummaging through the other drawers. In the second one she found pink spray paint. Then, her smile came back.

As if it was destiny, this pink spray paint gave her an idea.

* * *

The day was still young, and Poppy had managed to turn the whole village miserable as Bergens. As Poppy headed over to Branch, who was leaned up against a mushroom, she tried so hard not to smile.

"What are you doing?" asked an unamused Branch as a grey Poppy made her way towards him. She looked angry with her arms crossed. Everything about her looked the complete opposite of her bubbly self.

"Is this some kinda practical joke? Because it's so funny I forgot to laugh."

"Nope!" Poppy said excitedly, then cleared her throat. "I mean, nope. Just an average Branch on an average grey day." She was trying so hard to make her voice deep and brute, but she was failing.

"That sounds nothing like me!" he snorted.

"Don't you know? It's opposite day, silly!" she whispered as if in some sort of spy. He had a feeling right away that this whole opposite day thing was just a scam Poppy had planned to get Branch to let out his "inner happy" as she called it. Because it was "opposite day", that'd mean he would have to be the opposite of angry, which indeed was happy. Branch wasn't going to do that of course. "Now if you want to celebrate opposite day correctly-"

"I'm not celebrating opposite day," he interrupted.

"But _why_? It's a lot of fun, everyone in the village is doing it. Don't you see? Everyone looks miserable, like you." Branch furrowed his eyebrows. "Because opposite day isn't _real_! When have we ever celebrated it?" Poppy opened her mouth to answer but when nothing came out Branch went on. "That's what I thought." He folded his arms.

"I have to be like you. And _you_ have to be like me." Branch didn't like where this was going. Before he got the chance to walk away, Poppy pulled a pink spray can out of her hair. "Hold still." She spray painted his body pink everywhere as his arms waved in protest, and at one point the putrid stuff got into his _mouth_.

"Poppy-"

"Don't fight it!"

"But-"

"Stay _still_!"

It was another minute or so until he was completely done. Poppy had finished up by putting a dash of glitter on his cheeks. "There! You look just like me!"

"Oh joy," he sighed.

* * *

All day he made a complete fool of himself. Most trolls in the village were getting on his nerves by acting all grumpy, it was as if they were making fun of him. The Snack Pack in particular made him feel terrible, they had even wore his camouflaged clothes that he guessed Satin and Chenille had designed.

"Hey, Branch, wait up!" Poppy hurried after Branch when she saw he was leaving. "What's wrong? Where are you going?

He whirled around, glaring at her. "I did what you wanted. I stuck with the plan. I tried to be happy. Now leave me alone, will you?"

"No!"

He then stopped and whipped his head back, her suddenly angry voice ringing in his ears. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice harsher than he intended.

"What?"

"Why are you doing this?" he repeated. "Why do you come back when I push you away? Haven't you learned that this is the way I am and I'm never going to change? Why do you care so much? Why do you _all_ care so much? It's not your life." He entered his bunker, so caught up in arguing that he didn't realize he let her in. It was starting to rain outside.

"It's because we're your friends!"

"Really?" he asked flatly. " _They_ aren't my friends- and the only reason they did this stupid thing was because it made _you_ happy. They don't care about me!"

Poppy stomped her foot. " _I_ DO! I CARE!" she screamed. " _I_ did it because _I_ care! Why can't you appreciate it?"

"Because that's not what I _want!_ '

"Then what _do_ you want?!"

"I don't _know_!"

"I wanna help, just let me in!" she pleaded desperately.

"There's nothing you can do anyways," he murmured. "You don't know anything about me!" he said, his cold gaze burning through her.

Poppy opened her mouth, wanting to scream _there has to be something I can do, if you'd just tell me what's bothering you!_ But she held her tongue instead. "You're right, I don't know anything about you." In all honestly it was the truth. She knew nothing. When he didn't respond, she continued. "I really do wanna help- I do. And I want to understand, and I can't do that if you keep pushing me away. Let me in," she begged, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Branch didn't reply. He just stared at her, eyes exhausted and pained. He heaved a sigh and rested his forehead on his desk. She frowned, deciding she wouldn't talk anymore. Perhaps she had been pushing him to the edge. Why he was so sad she may never know, but she knew there had to be something she could do to at least calm his nerves.

So, she did the only thing she knew: she sang. She sang with all of her heart and soul, hoping that it'd get to Branch.

" _I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said don't leave me here alone  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight…_"

Branch lifted his head. He was about to protest and kick her out but he took a moment to realize how beautiful her voice was. It was soothing.

" _Just close your eyes,_

 _the sun is going down  
You'll be alright, _

_No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light, _

_You and I'll be safe and sound."_

The song was a little sad, which was something he didn't expect. Poppy usually sang happy songs. It made him realize how sincere she was trying to be. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, it was helping.

" _Don't you dare look out your window,_

 _Darling everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone…"_

He felt his heart beat go down and his stomach fluttered by the slightest bit. His eyelids felt droopy. Her voice did things to him. It made him sleepy when he thought he'd be up all night. It made him feel safe, and it chased away his demons, for they were no match to this.

" _Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound"_  
With each word she sang he got more and more drowsy. He tiredly made his way to his bed, almost falling so Poppy took action immediately. She smiled as she guided him to his bed, his ears to her chest as she laid him down.  
" _Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh  
La, la (la, la)  
La, la (la, la)  
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh  
La, la (la, la)"  
_She rubbed the grey troll's back soothingly. He was laying on his belly, his mouth slightly opened as his cheek rested on the pillow.

"Just close your eyes  
You'll be alright,"

She ran a few fingers through his hair, getting a whiff of burnt wood and blackberries.  
"Come morning light,  
You and I'll be safe and sound…"  
Upon finishing the song her forehead was now rested on his, warm and tenderly. She was laying right beside him. She couldn't leave, it was storming out there, and she didn't want to leave.

"Goodnight Branch…" she whispered, kissing the grey trolls cheek and drifting off into sleep.


End file.
